
Copyright N?_ 



COFKRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



PRACTICAL ENGLISH 
PUNCTUATION 



J 

PRACTICAL ENGLISH 
PUNCTUATION 



M. LYLE SPENCER, Ph.D. 

PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH 
LAWRENCE COLLEGE 



aty* (EalUgtat? ^reaa 

GEORGE BANTA PUBLISHING COMPANY 

MENASHA, WISCONSIN 

1914 



Co 



V 






COPYRIGHT, I914, BY 

THE GEORGE BANTA PUBLISHING COMPANY 

Published May, 1914 



AUG 26 1914 

)CI,A379549 {L~^ 



Sin 

Flournoy Poindexter Spencer 



\ 



PREFACE 

The purpose of the present volume is twofold. First, 
it is designed as a guide for students who wish to learn, 
under the direction of a teacher, to write correctly punc- 
tuated sentences and paragraphs. Second, it is intended 
as a practical reference book for writers, business men, 
professional men, and any other persons who may wish 
occasional help in matters connected with the punctua- 
tion of written manuscript. In either case the governing 
idea of it is practicalness. 

Because the book is written from the standpoint of 
practicalness, it is not only incomplete, — in that not every 
rule of punctuation is included, — but often dogmatic in 
statement. If the author had been writing with a view 
to exhaustiveness of treatment, there are many rules 
which, though of service only on rare occasions and by 
a very limited few, could not have been omitted. Like- 
wise, there are many other rules the inclusion of which 
would have relieved the book of its dogmatic state- 
ments — because such rules, in giving the different ways 
of punctuating the same kind of phrase or clause, would 
have obviated the necessity of presenting only a single 
viewpoint. But at the same time, all this additional 
matter would have merely added to the amount of ma- 
terial that the student must learn, without giving him a 
corresponding increase of serviceable knowledge. In 
those places, therefore, where the inclusion of several 
rules governing the same kind of phrase would result 
in little more than an enumeration of precepts for the 
sake of completeness, — thereby proving an actual hin- 
drance rather than a help, — the author has deliberately 



viii Practical English Punctuation 

chosen what seemed to him the best of the different 
ways and has said, this shall be so. 

Further, in an effort to make the book practical, us- 
able, the author has employed the term punctuation in its 
broadest sense. Not only has hyphenation been treated, 
but compound words as well ; not only the capitalization 
of proper names in general, but the specific kinds of 
proper names that are to be capitalized; not only the 
punctuation of abbreviations, but the prevailing usage 
governing the writing of abbreviations ; — so that the book 
as a whole, with its rules governing the use of quotations, 
foot-notes, letters and letter writing, and the general sub- 
ject of the preparation of manuscripts, may be found to 
be a compact, convenient, and reasonably full compend- 
ium of rules for the guidance of all persons who have 
need to write. 

One other matter connected with the preparation of the 
book deserves especial mention. The rules herein set 
down have not been made from the waitings of Thack- 
eray, Scott, Dickens, and authors of their time or earlier. 
If one is frank, one must admit that the punctuation as 
well as the style of such writers is a bit antiquated now, 
that it is not entirely modern. Consequently, the models 
used in this guide-book have been, as far as possible, con- 
servative modern authors, such as William Dean Howells, 
Henry James, Robert Herrick, recognized contributors to 
present-day standard magazines, and other writers like 
these. 

As far as possible, let it be emphasized, these authors 
have been followed ; for the present writer would not be 
altogether positive that the rules given in this volume have 



Preface ix 

been devised wholly from the writings of these men. Try 
as one will, one cannot by dint of mere resolution rid him- 
self of the influences of teachers under whom one has 
studied or of authors whose textbooks he has taught. 
And it may be that the present writer is more indebted 
than he knows to such writers as Professor Alphonso G. 
Newcomer, Professor John Duncan Quackenbos, Pro- 
fessor Edwin C. Woolley, the late Professor J. Scott 
Clark, and others for interpretations of rules that are 
included in this volume. If so, of whatever is their in- 
fluence in this book he is deeply appreciative. 

This opportunity is taken to make acknowledgment to 
Miss Ella Klumb, of Lawrence College, and to Mr. Roy 
H. Jones, of Appleton, Wisconsin, for valuable correc- 
tions of errors in the first draft of the book. 

M. L. S. 

Lawrence College, April, 1913. 



CONTENTS 



Page 

I Punctuation 1 

II The Manuscript 2 

III Capital Letters . 11 

IV The Period 24 

V The Colon 26 

VI The Semicolon ........ 29 

VII The Comma . 33 

VIII The Interrogation-Point 48 

IX The Exclamation-Point 49 

X The Dash 51 

XI Parentheses 56 

XII Brackets 59 

XIII Quotation-Marks 60 

XIV Italics . 72 

XV The Apostrophe 76 

XVI The Hyphen 78 

XVII Ellipses 87 

XVIII Foot-notes 89 

XIX Bibliographies 91 

XX Abbreviations 92 

XXI Numbers 96 

XXII Letter Writing 99 

XXIII Marks Used in Correcting Themes . . 113 

XXIV Specimen Corrected Proof Sheet . . 114 
XXV Exercises 117 



SYNOPSIS OF THE RULES 

I. PUNCTUATION 

1. Definition of the term punctuation 

II. THE MANUSCRIPT 

2. Carelessly prepared manuscripts 

3. Neatness and legibility of the manuscript 

4. Choice of paper 

5. Legibility 

6. Black ink 

7. Space between title and subject-matter 

8. Introductory pronouns 

9. Margins 

10. Crowded lines 

11. Pagination 

12. Space at the top of each page 

13. Spelling 

14. Paragraph indentation 

15. Consolidation of paragraphs 

16. Leaving parts of lines blank 

17. Beginning lines with punctuation marks 

18. Insertion of words 

19. Erasures 

20. Restoration of erased words 

21. Transposition of words 

22. Underscoring 

23. Folding and endorsing the manuscript 

III. CAPITAL LETTERS 

24. First word of a sentence 

25. Verse and formal quotations 

26. Proper nouns and adjectives 

27. Difficulty in recognizing proper names 

28. Class names 

29. Titles of books, etc. 

30. Common nouns joined with proper names 

31. Names and titles of the Diety 

32. Names of the Bible 

33. Titles of honor, respect, office, or profession 

34. Names distinguishing nationality or locality 

35. Cardinal points 

36. Names of festivals, etc. 

37. Historical documents, epochs, etc. 

38. Expositions, conventions, etc. 



xiv Practical English Punctuation 



39. Clubs, corporations, political parties, etc. 

40. Governmental departments, etc. 

41. Ordinal numbers 

42. Names of buildings, squares, parks, etc. 

43. Solar bodies 

44. Proper names in general 

45. Personified objects 

46. Independent sentences introduced by colons 

47. First word of tabular items 

48. Pronoun / and interjection O 

49. Prefixes von, de, etc. 

50. German nouns 

51. Abbreviations of academic degrees and honorary titles 

52. Sir and Madam in salutations 

53. Broken lines 

54. After Whereas and Resolved in resolutions 

55. In botany and zoology 

56. Nouns followed by capitalized roman numerals 

57. Excessive capitalization 

IV. THE PERIOD 

58. Imperative, exclamatory, and declarative sentences 

59. Abbreviations 

60. Roman numerals 

61. Decimal numbers 

62. Time tables 

63. After side-heads 

64. In headings and inside addresses of letters 

V. THE COLON 

65. Between independent clauses 

66. Formal quotations 

67. Formal enumerations 

68. Before namely, viz, etc. 

69. After formal salutations 

70. In biblical references and time indications 

71. To separate place of publication from name of publisher 

72. General usage 

VI. THE SEMICOLON 

73. Between independent clauses 

74. In formal enumerations of particulars 

75. In biblical references 

76. Instead of commas 

77. In a long series of clauses ' 



Synopsis of the Rules xv 

78. After yes and no 

79. Not in simple or complex sentences 

VII. THE COMMA 

80. Between independent clauses 

81. Interrogative sentence following a declarative 

82. Transposed words, phrases, and clauses 

83. Words, phrases, and clauses in a series 

84. Modifying adjectives 

85. Before the conjunction in a series 

86. Omitted before conjunctions in a series 

87. Not after a series when used as a subject 

88. In a formal enumeration of particulars 

89. Non-restrictive modifiers 

90. Relative clauses 

91. Dependent adverbial clauses 

92. Adverbial modifiers in general 

93. Adjective and participial modifiers 

94. Parenthetic expressions 

95. Appositives 

96. After namely, that is, i.e., etc. 

97. Contrasted words and phrases 

98. Adverbs and adverbial phrases 

99. Modifying words in separate phrases or clauses 

100. Vocatives 

101. Explanatory dates and geographical names 

102. Phrases indicating residence, position, or title 

103. Volume, page, and line numbers 

104. Academic and honorary titles 

105. Surname followed by initials 

106. Absolute construction 

107. After yes, no, well, why, etc. 

108. After interjections 

109. Before short quotations and maxims 

110. Words repeated for emphasis 

111. To indicate the omission of words 

112. Between name of author and title of book 

113. After the subject of a sentence 

114. In a compound predicate 

115. To set off certain adverbs, conjunctions, etc. 

116. In large numbers 

117. After the salutation in personal letters 

118. Broken lines 

119. In headings and addresses of letters 

120. After Resolved and Whereas in resolutions 

121. General usage 

122. Close punctuation 



xvi Practical English Punctuation 

VIII. THE INTERROGATION-POINT 

123. After questions 

124. After an interrogative part of a sentence 

125. In parentheses 

IX. THE EXCLAMATION-POINT 

126. After interjections and exclamatory phrases and clauses 

127. To express doubt or sarcasm 

128. After imperative and declarative sentences 

X. THE DASH 

129. To mark a sudden break in the thought 

130. Parenthetic expressions 

131. Parenthetic expressions within parenthetic expres- 

sions 

132. To indicate informal apposition 

133. Before explanatory phrases 

134. Before a formal quotation 

135. When introducing formally a separate sentence element 

136. Before summarizing words 

137. Before namely, viz., etc. 

138. Between a quotation and its author 

139. In dialogue 

140. To produce a rhetorical effect of pause 

141. Between extreme dates and numbers 

142. After the period following a side-head 

143. To indicate the omission of letters in a name 

XI. PARENTHESES 

144. Parenthetic phrases and clauses 

145. Punctuation before and after parentheses 

146. Interchangeable with dashes 

147. Abbreviations of political parties 

148. In titles of newspapers and magazines 

149. Figures and letters in enumerations 

150. About interrogation-points expressing doubt 

XII. BRACKETS 

151. Interpolations in direct quotations 

152. To correct mistakes in quotations 

153. Parentheses within parentheses 

154. To enclose notes and explanations 



Synopsis of the Rules xvii 



XIII. QUOTATION-MARKS 

155. Direct quotations 

156. Verse 

157. Quotations of more than one stanza 

158. Grouping lines of verse 

159. Long prose quotations 

160. Paragraph indentations in quotations 

161. Informal quotations 

162. Dialogue or conversation 

163. Quotations within quotations 

164. Verse within a prose quotation 

165. Interpolated expressions in quotations 

166. Relative position of quotation-marks 

167. Indented lines in quotations 

168. Quotation-marks at the end of quotations 

169. Exactness necessary in quotations 

170. Indirect quotations 

171. Titles of books, plays, poems, etc. 

172. Technical terms 

173. In translations 

174. Words in definition 

175. Slang, colloquial, and coined words 

176. Nicknames 

177. Titles of themes 

XIV. ITALICS 

178. Magazines, newspapers, and ships 

179. Side-heads and paragraph titles 

180. Foreign words 

181. For emphasis 

182. Whereas and Resolved in resolutions 

183. To be Continued, Concluded, etc. 

184. Reference words and abbreviations 

185. In responsive readings 

186. . Letters of the alphabet 

187. Titles after signatures 

XV. THE APOSTROPHE 

188. Possessive case 

189. Possessive case singular 

190. Possessive case plural 

191. Possessive case of appositive nouns 

192. Double possessive 

193. Other possessives 



xviii Practical English Punctuation 



194. Possessive pronouns 

195. Omission of letters or figures 

196. Plurals of figures, letters, and words 

197. Past tense of coined verbs 

XVI. THE HYPHEN 

198. Compound words 

199. Compound numbers spelt out 

200. Ordinal numbers 

201. Fractional adjectives 

202. Compound adjectives 

203. Time indications 

204. Compound nouns 

205. Hyphenated prefixes 

206. Prefixes written solid 

207. Hyphenated suffixes 

208. Suffixes written solid 

209. Varying suffixes 

210. Compounds of abnormally associated words 

211. General usage concerning compounds 

212. Hyphenated words 

213. Words written solid 

214. Words written separately 

215. Omission of part of a compound word 

216. Word division 

217. To indicate s}dlables 

218. To mark roots, prefixes, and suffixes 

219. To indicate stammered words 

XVII. ELLIPSES 

220. In quotations 

XVIII. FOOT-NOTES 

221. References 

XIX. BIBLIOGRAPHIES 

222. Usage 

XX. ABBREVIATIONS 

223. Abbreviations to be avoided 

224. Permissible abbreviations 

225. Personal titles 

226. Foot-notes and bibliographical matter 



Synopsis of the Rules xix 



227. Business correspondence 

228. Caution 

XXI. NUMBERS 

229. Street numbers, dates, etc. 

230. Ordinal numbers 

231. Cardinal numbers 

232. Large and small numbers in same sentence 

233. Sums of money 

234. Caution 

XXII. LETTER WRITING 

A. Letters in the First Person 

235. Order of the heading 

236. House numbers 

237. Omission of Street, Avenue, etc. 

238. The date 

239. Punctuation of the heading 

240. Place of the inside address 

241. Order of the inside address 

242. Omission of titles in the inside address 

243. Punctuation of the inside address 

244. Place of the salutation 

245. Proper salutations 

246. Improper salutations 

247. Beginning of the body of the letter 

248. Common errors 

249. Place of the complimentary close 

250. Proper complimentary closes 

251. Improper complimentary closes 

252. The signature 

253. The envelop 

254. Order of the outside address 

255. Punctuation of the outside address 

256. Abbreviations in the outside address 

B. Letters in the Third Person 

257. Form of notes in the third person 

258. Abbreviations 

259. Pronouns of the first and second person wrong 

260. Future tense wrong in notes of acceptance and regret 

261. The paper 

262. The envelop 



Practical English Punctuation 



I. PUNCTUATION 

1. Definition. — Punctuation is usually defined as 
the use of points and marks for the sake of emphasizing 
and making clear sentences and parts of sentences. Such 
a definition, however, is incomplete. It does not, for ex- 
ample, note the fact that correct punctuation, like good 
English words, must be national, present, and reputable. 
In like manner, it does not note that many words, phrases, 
clauses, and sentences are emphasized or made clear, not 
only by points and marks, but also by their position on the 
written or printed page, or by the form in which they ap- 
pear. Long, formal quotations, for instance, are punc- 
tuated not only by points and marks, but by their position 
and arrangement on the page; foot-notes are placed at 
the bottom of the page and numbered ; words at the end 
of a line may be divided only between syllables ; figures 
are not permissible at the beginning of sentences ; the 
first lines of new paragraphs are indented; margins are 
necessary at the left side of the page; and so on in- 
definitely. It seems fair to say, therefore, that, in its 
broadest sense, punctuation may concern itself with any 
of the mechanical processes connected with the prepara- 
tion of written or printed manuscript. And it is in this 
broader, looser sense that the term is interpreted and 
used in this volume. 



2 Practical English Punctuation 

II. THE MANUSCRIPT 

2. Carelessly Prepared Manuscripts. — It is un- 
fortunate, but nevertheless true, that too many of us are 
careless to the point of slovenliness and inaccuracy about 
the purely mechanical features of our manuscripts. Yet 
a composition's plainness and legibility are as important 
to a reader as a speaker's delivery and articulation are to 
his audience. If one's hearers are continually puzzling 
over what one is saying, and straining attention to catch 
what one may say next, it is obvious that they cannot 
enjoy one's remarks to the fullest extent, no matter how 
good such remarks may be. In like manner, if an in- 
structor, or any reader for that matter, is compelled to 
puzzle over misshapen and illegible letters and words in 
an essay, it stands to reason that any enjoyment or fair 
criticism of the composition will be an impossibility. On 
this point Herbert Spencer's testimony should not fail of 
careful perusal by every writer : 

A reader or listener has, at each moment, but a limited 
amount of mental power available. To recognize and interpret 
the symbols presented to him requires part of this power; to 
arrange and combine the images presented requires a farther 
part; and only that part which remains can be used for realizing 
the thought conveyed. Hence, the more time and attention it 
lakes to receive and understand each sentence, the less time and 
attention can be given to the contained idea, and the less vividly 
will that idea be conceived. 1 

3. Neatness and Legibility. — It is only wisdom on 
the part of a writer, therefore, to pay particular atten- 
tion to the neatness and legibility, and the various other 

1. Philosophy of Style, p. 5. 



The Manuscript 3 

mechanical details of his manuscript. And since almost 
any writer can, with due care, present a neat, clear, read- 
able manuscript, it seems worth while to offer a few 
practical suggestions for the guidance of writers. 

4. Choice of Paper. — Unless there are specific 
reasons for not doing so, write on unruled letter paper 
of about 8 x 10 or 8J x 11 inches in size. Choose paper 
that is of a neutral tint — grey, yellow, or manila brown — 
and not sufficiently glazed to present a glossy surface. 

5. Legibility. — Write with painstaking care for 
legibility. 

a. Avoid angularity (inclining too far forward) in 
the formation of letters. The vertical system is the most 
legible. 

b. Leave a liberal space between the horizontal lines 
of the manuscript; and do not let the sub-linear strokes 
of fs, g's, fs, p's, q's, y's, and z's in one line descend 
below the general level of the Vs, d's, fs, tis, k's, Vs, 
p's, and fs in the line below. 

c. Leave a liberal space between consecutive words 
in the same line. Two separate words should never be 
run together. 

d. Do not leave extra space between letters in the 
same word. Avoid especially a gap between a capital 
letter and the letter that follows. 

e. Leave a double space after a period, a colon, a 
semicolon, an exclamation-point, or a question-mark, and 
before initial and after final quotation-marks. 

f. Do not fail to dot all is and fs and to cross all 
fs and x's. And be careful that the dots are directly 
above the i's and fs and that the ^-strokes are horizontally 
across the fs, and not across adjacent Vs or Vs. 

g. Do not write and on an oblique line. 

h. Avoid conspicuous shading and all flourishes that 
are not necessary to identify a letter. 



4 Practical English Punctuation 

6. Black Ink. — Write with black ink, or on a type- 
writer, and on only one side of the paper. 

7. Space between Title and Subject-Matter. — 
Leave not less than a half-inch of clear space between 
the title of the essay and the subject-matter. 

8. Introductory Pronouns. — Do not begin an es- 
say with a pronoun the antecedent of which is to be 
found only in the title. 

Bad Beginning for a Theme. — 

Sherman's march to the sea 
In September, 1865, with sixty-five thousand men, he 
began his famous march to the sea, which he reached 
the following December. 

Right. — 

Sherman's march to the sea 
In September, 1865, with sixty-five thousand men, 
William Tecumseh Sherman began his famous march 
to the sea, which he reached the following December. 

9. Margins. — Leave a blank margin of at least an 
inch at the left side of each page. 

a. If the margin is ruled on the paper, the lines of 
writing should begin at the ruled margin. No margin 
should be left at the right of the page unless a marginal 
line is ruled there. If the margins are ruled all about the 
paper and there is a difference in the width of the margins 
at the top and the bottom of the sheet, the broader margin 
should be kept at the bottom of the page, as it may be of 
most use for foot-notes there. 

10. Crowded Lines. — Do not crowd the lines at 
the bottom of the page ; take a new sheet of paper. 

11. Pagination. — Number the pages of the manu- 
script at the top, in arabic, not in roman, numerals. 



The Manuscript 



12. Space at the Top of Each Page.— Write the 
first line of each page not less than an inch from the 
top of the page. 

13. Spelling. — Scrutinize carefully the spelling of 
every word. 

a. Many students complain that they cannot tell, 
even by a careful perusal of their themes, when a word 
is incorrectly spelled. Here is an infallible preventive 
for mispelled words, — one that must be followed by every 
student when in the slightest doubt : Every word in 
the manuscript is to be regarded by the writer as mis- 
spelled until the dictionary has been consulted and the 
word is seen to be spelled correctly. 

b. The following commonly misspelled words should 
be carefully studied by every student who has trouble 
with his spelling : 



(1) accept (v). Not to be 

confused with except 
{prep). 

(2) accommodate. 

(3) achieve. 

(4) acknowledgment. 

(5) advice (n). 
(6) 1 advise (v). 

(7) 1 affect (v). How did it 
affect you? 

(8) all right. There is no 

such word as "alright." 

(9) allusion. Not to be con- 

fused with illusion. 

(10) altar (n). An altar in 

the church. 

(11) alter (v). The tailor 

will alter the suit. 

(12) angel. An angel in 

Heaven. 

(13) angle. He views it 

from a different angle. 

(14) appearance. 

(15) appertain (v) . 



(16) appurtenance (n). 

(17) assassin. 
(18) ! assistance. 

(19) athlete, athletic. No e 

between the h and the /. 

(20) believe. 

(21) benefit. 

(22) berth. Not to be con- 

fused with birth. 

(23) borne. Different from 

born. 

(24) burglar. 

(25) business. Note that the 

i comes after the s. 

(26) calendar. 

(27) capitol. Not to be con- 

fused with capital. 

(28) ceiling. 

(29) choose (present tense). 

(30) chose (past tense). 

(31) Christian. 

(32) clothes. Different mean- 

ing from cloths. 

(33) coming. 



Practical English Punctuation 



(66) 



•) comparative. 


(67) exaggerate. 


)) conceive. 


(68) excellent. 


>) concur. 


(69) existence. 


)' concurred. 


(70) fascinate. 


>) confectionery. 


(71 ) : finally. Two l's in fi- 


) continually. 


nally, and only one i. 


)) control. 


(72) 1 forty. Not "fourty." 


) controlled. 


(73) grammar. 


) corps. A squad of men. 


(74) grievous. No i after 


) ; corpse. A dead body. 


the v. 


-) councilor. A member of 


(75) guard. 


a council. 


(76) height. There is no 


) counselor. An adviser. 


such word as"heighth." 


>) current (adj). 


(77) hindrance. 


) deceased. Burial of the 


(78) illusion. Not to be con- 


deceased warrior took 


fused with allusion. 


place today. 


(79)' imagine. Only one m. 


)' definite. 


(80) immigrant. One who 


descent (n). 


comes into a country 


) describe. There is only 


is an immigrant. Not 


one i in describe. 


to be confused with 


) description. 


emigrant. 


1) desert. A dry, sandy, 


(81) imminent. Not to be 


uninhabitable region. 


confused with eminent. 


) dessert. The last course 


(82) independent. 


at a dinner. 


(83) Indians. Spelled with a 


)' develop. No e after the 


capital letter. 


P. 


(84) indispensable. 


) difference. 


(85) inferred. 


) different. 


(86) infinite. 


) dining-room. 


(87) inoculate. 


)' disease. Afflicted with a 


(88)' inquisitive. 


grievous disease. 


(89) irrelevant. Not "irre- 


) divine. 


velant." 


) drowned. There is no 


(90) irresistible. 


such word as "drown- 


(91) its. There is no apos- 


ded." 


trophe in the pronoun 


) dying. 


its; it's is an abbrevia- 


) effect. Not to be con- 


tion for it is. 


fused with affect. 


(92) itself. One word, not 


) Eliot, George. 


two. 


) embarrass. 


(93) judgment. 


)' emigrant. Not to be 


(94) kindergarten. 


confused with immi- 


(95) laid. Not "layed." 


grant. 


(96) later. Later in the day. 


) etc. Abbreviation for 


(97) latter. The latter of 


et cetera. Not "ect." 


two. 



The Manuscript 



(98) 


led. Not like the 
tense of read. 


past 


(99) lightning. Not an e 




after the t. 




(100) 


loose (adj) 1 . 




(101) 


lose (v) 1 . 




(102) 


luxurious. 




(103) 


Macaulay. 




(104) 


maintenance. 




(105) 


manifold. 




(106) 


mantle. Distinguish be- 




tween this word 


and 




mantel. 




(107) 


maybe (adv). 




(108) 


mischievous. No i i 
the v. 


ifter 


(109) 


misspell. No hypher 
tween the two si's. 


i be- 


(110) 


mortgage. 




(111) 


mountainous. 




(112)' 


movable. 




(113) 


murmur. The second 




syllable is spelled 


ex- 




actly like the first. 




(114) 


negroes. 




(115) 


nervous. 




(116) 


Niagara. 




(117) 


nickel. The e comes 
fore the /. 


be- 


(118) 


ninth. 




(119) 


noticeable. 




(120) 


obedience. 




(121) 


occasion. Two c's 
only one j. 


and 


(122) 


occur. One r only. 




(123) 


occurred. Two r's. 




(124) 


omission. 




(125) 


omit. 




(126)' 


one's. Note the apos- 




trophe in the possess- 




ive case. 




(127) 


oneself. One word; 
"one's self." 


not 


(128) 


opportunity. 




(129) 


parallel. 




(130) 


partner. 




(131)' perform. Not "preform." 



(132) 


picnic. 




(133) 


picnicking. 




(134) precede. 




(135) preference. 




(136) 


preferred. 




(137) 


preparation. 




(138) 


principal (adj)l 


The 




principal personage. 


(139) 


principal («)'. The 


prin- 




cipal of the school. 


(140) principle («). A 


man 




of good principl 


es. 


(141) privilege. 




(142) 


procedure. 




(143) proceed. 




(144) 1 


professor. Only 
in the word. 


one / 


(145) 


pursue. 




(146) 


quantity. Not " 
ity." 


quan- 


(147) 


quiet {ad]). A 
afternoon. 


quiet 


(148) 


quite (adv). Not 
sold out. 


quite 


(149) 


quizzes. 




(150) 


receive. 




(151) 


recommend. 




(152) 


reference. 




(153) 


referred. 




(154) 


relieve. 




(155) 


remembrance. 




(156) 


repetition. 




(157) 


resistance. 




(158) 


rhythm. 




(159) 


salary. 




(160) 


seize. 




(161) 


separate. 




(162) 


serviceable. 




(163) 


siege. 




(164) 


similar. Not an i 
the /. 


after 


(165) 


speech. 




(166) 


Spencer, Herbert. 




(167) 


Spenser, Edmund. 




(168) 


stationary (adj). 




(169) stationery (n). 





8 Practical English Punctuation 

(170) statue. Do not confuse (184) too (adv). 

with stature. (185) two {adj). 

(171)' studying. (186) tremendous. No i after 

(172) sufficient. the d. 

(173) suffrage. No e between (187) truly. 

the / and the r. (188) tyranny. 

(174) summary. (189) until. Only one / in the 

(175) superintendent. word. 

(176) surprise. (190) valleys. 

(177) systematic. ( 191)' vegetable. 

(178) tendency. (192) vengeance. 

(179) Thackeray. (193) village. 

(180) their (pron). Not to be (194) villain. 

confused with there (195) Wednesday. 

{adv). (196) weird. 

(181) therein. (197) wield. 

(182) thoroughly. Not (198) withal. 

''throughly." (199) woman {singular). 

(183) to {prep). (200) yield. 

14. Paragraph Indentation. — When beginning a 
new paragraph, indent at least three quarters of an inch, 
irrespective of where the preceding paragraph has ended. 

a. No exception is made to this rule because the 
paragraphs are numbered. The first words of the first 
lines of all paragraphs should begin at the same distance 
from the margin. No other lines than the first lines of 
paragraphs (verse of course excepted [see 156]) should 
be indented in the least. 

b. The present stenographer's fad of leaving a wider 
space between paragraphs and beginning the first lines of 
all paragraphs flush with the left margin of the page, is 
not good usage. 

15. Consolidation of Paragraphs. — When it is 
necessary to consolidate two paragraphs, draw a line 
from the end of the first to the beginning of the second 
and mark "No fl" in the margin opposite where the con- 
solidation is to be made. Likewise, when it is necessary 
to separate one paragraph into two, insert the paragraph 



The Manuscript 9 

symbol (fl) immediately before the word that is to begin 
the new paragraph. 

16. Leaving Parts of Lines Blank. — Do not leave 
part of a line blank after the end of a sentence, unless 
that sentence ends the paragraph. If there is room, 
begin the next sentence on the same line. 

17. Beginning Lines with Punctuation Marks. — A 
line should never be begun with any other mark of punc- 
tuation than a dash, quotation-mark, or the first of a pair 
of parentheses or brackets. 

Wrong. — If the men who favor the motion will make a care 
-ful study of the problem, they will see that the city will be 
a big loser by such an ordinance. 

Right. — If the men who favor the motion will make a care- 
ful study of the problem, they will see that the city will be 
a big loser by such an ordinance. 

18. Insertion of Words. — When it is necessary to 
insert a word or a phrase in a sentence, write the word or 
phrase above the line and indicate with a caret ( /\ ) below 
the line the proper place for the insertion. 

19. Erasures. — Make erasures by drawing a single 
heavy line through the word or words to be canceled. 

a. Do not use parentheses to indicate erasures, as 
they have other very different uses. (See paragraphs 
144 to 150.) A printer will not omit, but will set up in 
type, parentheses and everything found within them. 

20. Restoration of Erased Words. — Indicate the 
restoration of an erased word or phrase by a line of dots 
beneath it. 

21. Transposition of Words. — Indicate the trans- 
position of two words or phrases by drawing a continuous 
line over the first and under the second. 



10 Practical English Punctuation 

22. Underscoring. — Underscore once for italics, 
twice for small capitals, and three times for 
CAPITALS. Use wave-line underscoring to indicate 
heavy-face type. 

23. The Manuscript. — Do not under any circum- 
stances roll a manuscript. And unless the number of 
pages makes the essay too bulky to fold, do not fasten 
the sheets together. Where short themes of not more 
than eight or ten pages are presented, fold only once — 
transversely across the middle, bringing the top of the 
theme to the bottom. Then, holding the folded theme in 
this position, with the top brought to the bottom, endorse 
with name, class-section, and date on the upper right-hand 
corner of the paper. Such a way of folding and endors- 
ing enables the instructor to file any number of essays 
with accuracy and to find any theme with a minimum 
amount of trouble. 

a. Manuscripts intended for publication should al- 
ways be mailed flat. 



Capital Letters 11 

III. CAPITAL LETTERS 

24. First Word of a Sentence. — Begin the first 
word of every complete sentence with a capital letter, 
unless the sentence follows one to which it is so closely 
related in thought that the two are separated by a colon 
or a minor mark of punctuation. 

Right. — Toward the south were the railway station and the 
business section of the town; toward the north extended 
the residence district and the churches. 

a. Exception 1. — When a compound interrogative 
sentence is made up of questions that are closely related 
in thought, the question or questions following the first 
may be begun without a capital letter. (See 123 a.) 

Right. — But what of his employer? what of the building in 
which he worked? what of the town that will permit such 
buildings ? 

b. Exception 2. — A parenthetic sentence enclosed in 
parentheses or dashes and interpolated in another sent- 
ence, is not begun with a capital letter. 

Right. — When he comes in June (we may expect him this 
time), some sort of special entertainment must be given him. 

Right. — If you will come with us, — and I hope you will finally 
decide to come, — we shall then lack only one of having the 
party complete. 

c. Care should be taken not to capitalize and begin as 
a new sentence a group of w T ords that is not an independ- 
ent statement, but the concluding member of a preceding 
phrase or clause. 

Wrong. — The course afforded him ample leisure for study and 

investigation. At the same time giving him an opportunity 

to support himself. 
Right. — The course afforded him ample leisure for study and 

investigation, at the same time giving him an opportunity 

to support himself. 



12 Practical English Punctuation 

d. For the capitalization or non-capitalization of the 
first word of a sentence following an exclamatory word, 
phrase, or clause, see 126 b. 

25. Verse and Formal Quotations. — Capitalize the 
first word of every direct formal quotation and of every 
line of verse. 

a. Verse, unless only a fragment of a line, should be 
quoted in verse form, with a capital at the beginning of 
each line. But when fragmentary quotations and frag- 
ments of lines of verse, even though quoted exactly, are 
used as grammatical elements in a sentence, the first word 
is not usually capitalized. (For the punctuation of direct 
quotations, see 66, 109, 155-169.) 

Right. — He cited the following lines from Beattie's Minstrel: 

Far to the west the long, long vale withdrawn, 
Where twilight loves to linger for a while. 

Right. — It was Mrs. Browning who said, "Every age appears 

to souls who live in it, most unheroic.' , 
Right. — Fletcher has said somewhere that nothing is "so 

dainty sweet as lovely melancholy." 

26. Proper Nouns and Adjectives. — Capitalize 

proper names and adjectives derived from proper names. 

Exception 1. — The names of the seasons are not 
capitalized : as, spring, niidsummer, autumn, etc. 

Exception 2. — When a proper noun or adjective has 
been used so long that it has lost its primary significance 
of reference to the name from which it took its meaning, 
it is not capitalized. Such words are cologne, morocco, 
platonic, stoical, india (rubber), castile (soap), levant, 
etc. 

Exception 3. — In zoology the names of species, even 
though derived from proper names, are not capitalized : 
as, Corvus americanus, Ursus himalayanus, etc. 

Exception 4. — See 32 a. 



Capital Letters 13 

27. Difficulty in Recognizing Proper Names. — It 

would seem an easy enough matter to say that every 
proper name should be capitalized, and to capitalize such 
words when one has occasion to use them ; but in reality 
it is often difficult for one to determine precisely when 
one is using a proper noun. For this reason it seems 
advisable to make the following subrules in explanation 
of the general rule for the capitalization of proper 
names : — 

28. (1) Class Names. — Capitalize a class name 
when it is used as a generally recognized distinguishing 
title: as, the Union, the United Kingdom, Heaven (but 
heavens), God (but gods), etc. (See 26, Exception 2.) 

a. For this reason one should capitalize such words 
as father, mother, sister, etc., when they are used as dis- 
tinguishing titles and without any idea of class refer- 
ence. But when such nouns are made to serve the 
double purpose of naming both an individual and a 
class, they are usually regarded as common nouns and 
are written with small letters, even though they may 
unquestionably distinguish individual persons or ob- 
jects. 

Right. — It is Father's belief that stubborn men are often 

wrong, but seldom dishonest. 
Not Good. — My Father says that stubborn men are often 

wrong, but seldom dishonest. 
Right. — My father says that stubborn men are often wrong, 

but seldom dishonest. 

b. Names of college classes, unless referring to a 
specific class of a certain year in a definite college, are 
not capitalized. 

Wrong. — He will be a Freshman at Kentucky Wesleyan next 

year. 
Right. — He will be a freshman at Kentucky Wesleyan next 

year. 



14 Practical English Punctuation 

Wrong. — A meeting of the freshman class [meaning a spe- 
cific class] will be held immediately after chapel. 

Right. — A meeting of the Freshman Class [meaning a spe- 
cific class] will be held immediately after chapel. 

29. (2) Titles of Books, etc.— Capitalize the first 
word and all the important words in the titles of books, 
poems, magazine articles, plays, pictures, ancient manu- 
scripts, etc. : that is, the first word and all the other words 
except articles, demonstratives, prepositions, conjunc- 
tions, auxiliary verbs, relative pronouns, and other pro- 
nouns in the possessive case. 

a. Usage varies greatly here. Some writers capital- 
ize even prepositions when they are long, while others 
capitalize only the nouns and verbs. The American 
Library Association, following continental usage, has 
adopted the practice of capitalizing only the proper names 
and the first words of titles. 

b. As a rule, the definite article preceding the titles 
of newspapers and magazines is not treated as a part of 
the title. 

c. In such titles, all nouns — but not other parts of 
speech — forming parts of hyphenated compounds are 
capitalized: as, English Folk-Songs, but Stories of the 
True-blue Fathers. 

30. (3) Common Nouns Joined with Proper Names. 

— Write with a capital letter common nouns when 
used with proper names and meaning the same thing, 
whether connected by or without a preposition : as, Yel- 
lowstone Park, Cape of Belle Isle, Borough of Manhattan, 
Alexander the Great, etc. 

a. Where the name is made up of several words, 
capitalize the first word, whatever it may be, and all other 
words except such unimportant ones as articles, conjunc- 
tions, and prepositions. 



Capital Letters 15 

b. Distinguish between proper names and nouns 
modified by words derived from proper names : as, Brit- 
ish Isles, but British islands; Chinese Republic, but Chi- 
nese immigrants; Westminster Abbey, but Westminster 
linen; etc. 

c. Failure to distinguish between proper names and 
nouns modified by proper adjectives is accountable for 
the present tendency to write with a small letter such 
words as river, street, square, college, etc., when joined 
with proper names. 

Not Good. — Fox river, Oneida street, Madison square, Smith 

college. 
Right. — Fox River, Oneida Street, Madison Square, Smith 

College. 

31. (4) Names and Titles of the Deity. — Begin 
with capitals the names and titles of the Deity, of Jesus 
Christ, of the Virgin Mary, and of the Trinity. 

a. The personal pronouns he, his, him, thou, thy, 
thee, when referring to the Deity, are also capitalized. 

Right. — When the holy Virgin, mother of our blessed Lord, 

came to the place, etc. 
Wrong. — Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, etc. 

Right. — Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, etc. 

32. (5) Names of the Bible. — Names of the Bible 
and other sacred books, of the versions of the Bible, and 
of the books and divisions of the Bible and of other 
sacred books, are capitalized. 

a. Adjectives derived from such names are not usual- 
ly capitalized. 

Right. — The Scriptures, the Book of Books, the Koran, the 
King James Version, the Septuagint, the Old Testament, 
the Psalms, Judith; but biblical, scriptural, apochryphal. 

33. (6) Titles of Honor, Respect, Office, or Pro- 
fession. — Begin titles of honor, respect, nobility, office, 



16 Practical English Punctuation 

or profession with capitals : as, Right Reverend R. H. 
Weller, Father Ryan, King George, President Wilson, ex- 
President Roosevelt, Professor Naylor, etc. 

a. Capitalize personal epithets when prefixed like 
official titles before the names of individuals : as, Aunt 
Martha, Farmer Watson, Brother Marsh, etc. 

b. When coming after the name, an official title other 
than that of a sovereign or a high government official is 
not usually capitalized : as, /. T. Littleton, dean of the 
Woman's College ; D. D. Peele, professor of English, etc. 

c. When a person who has been mentioned by name 
and title is afterwards referred to by his title only, the 
title is capitalized. 

Right. — Governor Mann added that he would call out every 
soldier in the state, if necessary, to ensure a fair trial to 
an arrested man. At this point the Governor was roundly 
applauded. 

d. Official titles in direct address are capitalized, even 
though used without the name. But such titles as your 
honor, my lord, sir, madam, etc., when used alone, are 
not capitalized. 

Right. — He says, Colonel, that your regular seat is in the 

smoking car at the front. 
Right. — But, your honor, the defendant is sure of being able 

to prove an alibi. 

e. The prefix ex- before a title is not capitalized and 
does not affect the capitalization of the title. 

Right. — It is reported that ex-President Roosevelt and ex- 
Senator Beveridge were in conference yesterday at Oyster 
Bay. 

34. (7) Names Distinguishing Nationality or Lo- 
cality. — Nouns and adjectives of distinct nationality or 
locality are written with capital letters : as, German, 
Yankee, Creole, Hoosier, the Old World, etc. 



Capital Letters 17 

Exception. — The noun negro is not capitalized. This 
is not a discrimination against the colored race. It is 
due to the etymology of the word, — from the Latin niger, 
black. 

35. (8) Cardinal Points. — Capitalize the names of 
the cardinal points when they are used as nouns or proper 
adjectives referring to definite sections of the country; 
otherwise a small letter is used. 

Wrong. — There is no doubt that the south had a legal right 

to secede. 
Right. — There is no doubt that the South had a legal right 

to secede. 

36. (9) Names of Festivals, etc. — Begin the names 
of festivals, holidays, the days of the week, and the 
months of the year with capitals : as, Pentecost, Easter, 
Labor Day, Thanksgiving, New Years, Fourth of July, 
etc. (See 26, Exception 1.) 

37. (10) Historical Documents, Epochs, etc. — 

Documents, events, and epochs of recognized historical, 
literary, or geological importance are written with capital 
letters : as, Magna Charta, Boston Tea Party, Dark Ages, 
Renaissance, Pleistocene, etc. 

38. (11) Expositions, Conventions, etc. — The 
names of expositions, conventions, conferences, con- 
gresses, etc., are capitalized. 

Right. — The Panama Exposition is to be held at San Fran- 
cisco in 1915. 
Right. — The Democratic Convention met at Baltimore in 1912. 
Right. — The Hague Conference settled it for all time. 

39. (12) Clubs, Corporations, Political Parties, etc. 

— Write with capitals the names of clubs, colleges, 
fraternities, political parties, religious denominations, 



18 Practical English Punctuation 

monastic orders, scientific societies, literary and artistic 
schools, commercial and industrial institutions, railroads, 
and organizations generally : as, Riverview Country Club, 
Kappa Alpha Fraternity, United Steel Company, Demo- 
crat, Methodist, Jesuit, etc. 

40. (13) Governmental Departments, etc. — When 
specifically applied, the names of governmental depart- 
ments and of administrative, judicial, and legislative 
bodies and their branches, are written with capital letters : 
as, Congress, Parliament, Reichstag, Bureau of Educa- 
tion, Supreme Court of the United States, Committee on 
Rivers and Harbors, etc. 

a. Federal and state departments and officials are 
custom&rily distinguished from each other by capitalizing 
the names of federal bodies and officers and not capitaliz- 
ing those of the states. 

Right. — After being a member of the Minnesota senate for 
three terms, he was elected twice to the House of Congress. 

41. (14) Ordinal Numbers. — Ordinal numbers 
used to designate sessions of Congress, names of regi- 
ments, political divisions, Egyptian dynasties, etc., are 
written with capital letters. 

Right. — The Fifty-third Congress adjourned that day. 
Right. — The Second Alabama Regiment was passing by. 
Right. — During the Second Dynasty it must have occurred. 

42. (15) Names of Buildings, Squares, Parks, etc. 

— Names of buildings, blocks, squares, parks, thorough- 
fares, etc., are capitalized : as, Singer Building, Hunt 
Block, Trafalgar Square, Washington Park, Appian Way, 
North Shore Drive, etc. 

Caution. — Except in connection with the name of 
the place in which they are located, do not capitalize such 



Capital Letters 19 

general names as court-house, high-school, library, post- 
office, etc. 

43. (16) Solar Bodies. — In astronomy the names 
of the bodies of the solar system, except earth, moon, sun, 
are capitalized: as, Jupiter, the Great Bear, the Milky 
Way, etc. 

44. (17) Proper Names in General.— In general, 
capitalize any word or words when used to refer to or to 
distinguished a particular person, place, animal, or thing : 
as, Queen Mob, Utopia, Rover, Nirvana, Angelus, Last 
Supper, Liberty Bell, etc. 

45. Personified Objects. — Capitalize abstract ideas 
and inanimate objects when strongly personified. 

a. Considerable care should be exercised fin the 
capitalization of personified nouns. In prose writing it 
is not in good taste to capitalize such nouns unless their 
personification would be unmistakable without the use of 
a capital. In poetry capitals are somewhat more freely 
used. 

Right — 

And others came — Desires and Adorations, 
Winged Persuasions and veiled Destinies, 
Splendors, and Glooms, and glimmering Incarnations 
Of hopes and fears, and twilight Fantasies; 
And Sorrow, with her family of Sighs, 
And Pleasure, blind with tears, led by the gleam 
Of her own dying smile instead of eyes, 
Came in slow pomp. — Shelley. 

46. Independent Sentences Introduced by Colons. 
— When an independent sentence that would have full 
meaning when standing by itself is introduced by a colon, 
the first word is often capitalized. 



20 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — My summary of him and his theories is this : He 
believes in government of himself, for himself, and by 
himself. 

47. First Word of Tabular Items. — Begin with a 
capital letter the first word of each item of a series when 
the items are placed each on a separate line, or when they 
are distinctly marked by cardinal numbers and periods. 

a. When setting down a list of items in tabular form, 
be careful that the relation of the items to the context and 
to each other is made entirely clear, — that the list, in the 
same manner as a quotation of verse (see 158), is set 
apart from the matter preceding and following it, that the 
first line of each item extends farther to the left than the 
other lines of that item, etc. (See 149,) 

Wrong. — The different counts on which he was indicted were : 

a. Destruction of documents that were necessary in 
the government's suit and were expected to prove 
both him and the company criminally negligent; 

b. Perjury; 

c. Misuse of the company's funds for a period of 
three years preceding his resignation as its at- 
torney ; 

d. Jury bribing; any one of which would have been 
sufficient to convict him in any court in the country. 

Right. — The different counts on which he was indicted were : 

a. Destruction of documents that were necessary 

in the government's suit and were expected to 
prove both him and the company criminally 
negligent ; 

b. Perjury; 

c. Misuse of the company's funds for a period of 

three years preceding his resignation as its 
attorney ; 

d. Jury bribing; 

any one of which would have been sufficient to con- 
vict him in any court in the country. 



Capital Letters 21 

b. When the items of a series are written, not in 
tabular form, but continuously on the same line or lines, 
better usage requires that they be marked by letters, or 
cardinal numbers, enclosed in parentheses, and that the 
first word of each item begin with a small letter. 

Permissible. — The chief points that he touched were: 1. The 
effect of the parcel post on the country merchant; 2. Inter- 
urban railways ; 3. Civic playgrounds ; 4. The nickel theatre 
and its growing influence. 
Better. — The chief points that he touched were: (1) the 
effect of the parcel post on the country merchant; (2) 
interurban railways; (3) civic playgrounds; and (4) the 
nickel theatre and its growing influence. 

48. Pronoun I and Interjection O. — Write the pro- 
noun / and the interjection O with capital letters. 

a. The following distinctions in the prose usage 
(the rule does not hold in poetry) of the interjections 
and oh should be noted: oh expresses deeper emotion 
than 0; except at the beginning of a sentence, oh is writ- 
ten with a small letter, O always with a capital; the 
former usually requires a comma or an exclamation-point 
after it, while the latter is seldom followed by any punc- 
tuation at all; and oh is used always by itself, while O 
serves only as a poetic or archaic sign of direct address. 
Wrong — Oh ! no, I never bother about him. 

We have come before thee, Oh King. 
Right. — Oh no, I never bother about him. 

We have come before thee, O King. 

Oh, we had a fairly good time. 

Oh ! You scared me. 

49. Prefixes "von," "de," etc. — Capitalize the pre- 
fixes von, de, di, le, la, etc., when not preceded by Chris- 
tian name or title. 

a. The continental practice, however, which regularly 
writes such prefixes with small letters, is followed by 
many American and English writers. 



22 Practical English Punctuation 

b. Exception. — In Dutch names Van is usually 
capitalized. 

Permissible. — He quoted from de Quincey. 

Better. — He quoted from De Quincey. 

Wrong. — I had read Thomas De Quincey's Confessions. 

Right. — I had read Thomas de Quincey's Confessions. 

Wrong. — Stephen van Rensselaer was the founder of Rens- 
selaer Polytechnic Institute. 

Right. — Stephen Van Rensselaer was the founder of Rens- 
selaer Polytechnic Institute. 

50. German Nouns. — Because in written German 
all nouns are capitalized, an unanglicized German noun 
when used in an English context should be capitalized. 
(See also 180.) 

Right. — Possessed of the Wanderlust and das Selbstvertrauen, 
he began his journey to the city. 

51. Abbreviations of Academic Degrees and Hon- 
orary Titles. — Abbreviations of academic degrees and 
honorary titles are capitalized. (See also 104.) 

Right. — Samuel Plantz, Ph.D., D.D., is president of Lawrence 
College. 

Right. — "Her children first of more distinguish^ sort, 
Who study Shakespeare at the Inns of Court, 
Impale a glow-worm, or vertu profess, 
Shine in the dignity of F. R. S" — Pope. 

52. "Sir" and "Madam" in Salutations. — Capitalize 
Sir and Madam in the salutations of letters. (See also 
69, 117, 244-246.) 

Right. — Mr. F. P. Young, 

Appleton, Wisconsin. 
Dear Sir : 

53. Broken Lines. — Begin with a capital letter the 
first word of the latter part of a broken line, as in the 
subscription of letters. (See also 118, 249-251.) 



Capital Letters 23 

Right. — I am, 

Yours very truly, 

John Doe. 

54. After "Whereas" and "Resolved" in Resolu- 
tions. — In resolutions the first word following such 
introductory words as Whereas and Resolved is capital- 
ized. (See also 120, 182.) 

a. In resolutions for debate, if a comma — according 
to better usage — is placed after the Resolved, the word 
immediately following is not always capitalized. 
Right. — Whereas, The students have . . . ; and 

Whereas, The faculty has . . . ; therefore be it 
Resolved, That we most heartily endorse, etc. 
Right. — Resolved, that the college summer vacation should 
be shortened. 

55. In Botany and Zoology. — Capitalize the names 
of classes, families, and genera in botany and zoology, but 
not the names of species unless derived from proper 
nouns. 

Exception. — See 26, Exception 3. 

56. Nouns Followed by Roman Numerals. — Nouns 
followed by capitalized roman numerals indicating order 
in sequence are capitalized: as, Act II, Book IV, Grade 
III, Part II, etc. 

a. But nouns followed by arabic numerals or non- 
capitalized roman numerals, are not usually capitalized: 
as art. 2, chap. 6, I. 16, n. 2, p. 48, scene iv, sec. in, etc. 

57. Excessive Capitalization. — Avoid excessive 
capitalization. 

a. Do not capitalize such words as astronomy, ath- 
letics, college, convention, department, fraternity, high- 
school, history, measles, professor, rhetoric, etc. 



24 Practical English Punctuation 

IV. THE PERIOD 

58. Imperative, Exclamatory, and Declarative 
Sentences. — A period should be placed after imperative 
sentences, after sentences but slightly exclamatory, and 
after every complete declarative sentence not connected 
in a series. (See also 126, 128.) 

Right. — Do not forget to cultivate your mind and to enlarge 

your thought. 
Right. — How much more joyfully one remembers his mother's 

turnovers than his father's. 
Right. — It is stated that the proportion of unmarried women 

is growing larger in America every year. 

59. Abbreviations. — Place a period after abbrevi- 
ated words and after single or double initial letters repre- 
senting single words : as, Rev., Ph.D., LL.D*, p., etc. 
(Concerning the use of abbreviations, see 223-228.) 

a. In hyphenated abbreviations, the first part of the 
compound does not take a period : as, kw-hr. for kilowatt- 
hour. 

Exception 1. — The period is omitted after chemical 
symbols, the format of books, the phrase per cent, and 
the abbreviation for manuscript: as, NaCl, 8vo, MS, etc. 

Exception 2. — In technical writing a period is not 
placed after the recognized initial abbreviations for the 
titles of familiar publications and well-known linguistic 
epochs: as, OE {Old English), OHG {Old High Ger- 
man), etc. 

Exception 3. — After contracted words (which are 
sometimes termed abbreviations), where one or more let- 
ters are omitted and their omission indicated by an apos- 
trophe, a period is not placed : as, can't for cannot, etc. 

60. Roman Numerals. — A period is not usually 
put after roman numerals. 



The Period 25 

a. The period after a roman numeral is still occa- 
sionally found, but the later usage — because the period 
serves no real need after the number — is much the more 
common. 

Good. — Henry VI. was the son of Catharine of France. 

Better. — Henry VI was the son of Catharine of France. 

61. Decimal Numbers. — Place a period before 
decimal numbers that are written in figures, even if a 
whole number does not precede. 

Right. — His rifle was a .44-inch calibre. 

Right. — The amount that he received was only $13.81. 

62. Time Tables. — In many modern railway and 
steamship time tables, and often in business correspond- 
ence, a period instead of a colon (see 70) is put between 
hours and minutes in time indications : as, Ar. New 
York, 4.10 p. m. 

63. After Side-Heads. — A period is placed after 
side-heads. 

Right. — Compare the period following any of the side-heads 
in this volume. 

64. In Headings and Addresses of Letters. — A 

period is placed at the end of the last line of headings and 
the inside addresses of letters. (See 239, 243, 255.) 



26 Practical English Punctuation 

V. THE COLON 

65. Between Independent Clauses. — A colon is 
placed between two independent clauses in a compound 
sentence when the second clause, by way of explaining 
the thought, adding an illustration, or repeating the same 
idea in other words, stands in some sort of apposition to 
the first. 

a. If the second clause, however, is adversative or 
introduces any change or advance in thought, a colon is 
not used. (See 73.) 

Right. — There were an unusual number of excellent sites 
available in Henderson, which had been laid out, as Ralph 
once remarked, with an eye for beauty: a knoll overlook- 
ing the north stretch of the river; Hanson's Hill to the 
west of the town ; and, best of all, two double lots facing 
the city park. 

Right. — The dare in the eyes of the leading lady suddenly 
began to fade : a footstep was sounding down the hall. 

Right. — His prayer for justice was respected : they swung 
him up immediately. 

66. Formal Quotations. — A colon is used to intro- 
duce a formal quotation. (See also 25, 109, 155-169.) 

a. But if the formal quotation is not directly intro- 
duced by the preceding sentence, a period instead of a 
colon is used. 

Right. — The writer also makes this statement : "There is 

every reason to believe that this disease plays a larger part 

in the production of idiocy than has hitherto been admitted 

by writers on insanity." 
Right. — In order to prove my statement, I will now read what 

my client wrote. "Somewhere about January 2d," he begins, 

"you may expect me " 

67. Formal Enumerations. — A formal enumeration 
of particulars is introduced by a colon. (See also 47, 74, 
88.) 



The Colon 27 

a. Such enumerations are usually preceded by words 
and phrases like says, thus, for instance, the following, 
etc. Often, however, such words and phrases are merely 
implied, the colon taking their place. 

b. Caution. — Note that no punctuation at all is 
needed before a simple, informal list of particulars. 

Wrong. — He has correlated all his material into four general 
rules; first, develop your ability; second, develop your 
reliability; third, develop your endurance; fourth, develop 
your action. 

Right. — He has correlated all his material into four genera! 
rules: first, develop your ability; second, develop your 
reliability; third, develop your endurance; fourth, develop 
your action. 

Right. — The members of the English faculty are the presi- 
dent of the college, an assistant professor, and a theme 
reader. 

Right. — There are three members of the English faculty, as 
follows : first, the president of the college, who does little 
or no teaching at all ; second, an assistant professor, on 
whom the entire burden of responsibility for the depart- 
ment rests ; and, third, a theme reader who does all the 
drudgery. 

68. Before "namely," "viz.," etc. — A colon is 
placed before such words as namely, as, that is, e.g., viz., 
etc., when introducing an example or an illustration. (See 
also 96, 137.) 

Right. — A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun : as, he, 
she, them. 

a. Exception. — When as is used to introduce par- 
enthetically an illustration in a sentence, only a comima is 
placed before the as, and no punctuation follows the word. 
(See 94.) 

Right. — The matron of honor, as in preceding years, intro- 
duced the clergyman to the guests. 



28 Practical English Punctuation 

69. After Formal Salutations. — A colon is placed 
after the salutation in formal letters and after the salu- 
tatory remark of the speaker when addressing the chair- 
man or his audience. (See also 52, 117, 244-246.) 

a. There is no need of a dash after the colon. A 
dash merely requires an additional amount of the writer's 
time without adding to the clearness or the precision of 
the salutation. 

Right. — The Pettibone-Peabody Co., 

Appleton, Wis. 
Dear Sirs : 
Right. — Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

70. In Biblical References and Time Indications. — 
A colon is placed between chapter and verse in biblical 
references and between hours and minutes in time indica- 
tions. (See also 62.) 

Right.— Luke 3: 7-15. 

Right. — The boat sails at 10 :30 a. m. 

71. To Separate Place of Publication from Name 
of Publisher. — A colon is used in title-pages, in cata- 
logues of books, and in bibliographies generally to sep- 
arate the place of publication of a book from the name 
of the publisher. 

Right. — See illustrations in the bibliography (page 139) of this 
book. 

72. General Usage. — In general, a colon is placed 
after any word, phrase, or clause that is used to introduce 
formally an addition of any kind. 



The Semicolon 29 

VI. THE SEMICOLON 

73. Between Independent Clauses. — A semicolon 
is used to separate the independent clauses of a compound 
sentence when they are loosely connected, especially when 
a sharp change or advance in thought is made by the 
second clause (no connective being used), or when the 
later clause is joined without and, but, for, or or to the 
first clause by such conjunctions as accordingly, besides, 
hence, hozvever, moreover, nevertheless, now, so, then, 
therefore, thus, yet, etc. (See also 65, 80.) 

"In nearly all such cases," says Newcomer, "it is 
possible to use a period, but a nice discrimination of rela- 
tions would be sacrificed thereby." 1 

Wrong. — Little four-year-old waiters take the knives and 
forks and spoons and distribute them in the different 
places, they even carry trays holding as many as five water- 
glasses. 

Right. — Little four-year-old waiters take the knives and 
forks and spoons and distribute them in the different 
places; they even carry trays holding as many as five water- 
glasses. 

Wrong. — Before, in his revolt, he had come against a college 
tradition, now he found himself face to face with the 
problem of meeting social prejudice. 

Right. — Before, in his revolt, he had come against a college 
tradition ; now he found himself face to face with the 
problem of meeting social prejudice. 

74. In Formal Enumerations of Particulars. — A 
semicolon is used to separate the larger groups of a 
formal enumeration of particulars that has been intro- 
duced by a colon. (See also 47 and 67.) 



1. Elements of Rhetoric, pp. 269-70. 



30 Practical English Punctuation 

a. But if the particulars in the enumeration are sin- 
gle words, or short phrases or clauses without any marks 
of punctuation within themselves, they are separated by 
commas. (See 88.) 

Wrong. — The chief points that he brought out were: (1) 
he was essentially honest, (2) he was full of bitter loyalty 
to his party, for which he had worked all his life, and (3) 
he was not responsible for the new outbreak of sentiment 
in the country. 

Right. — The chief points that he brought out were: (1) ! he 
was essentially honest; (2) he was full of bitter loyalty 
to his party, for which he had worked all his life; and (3) 
he was not responsible for the new outbreak of sentiment 
in the country. 

Wrong. — Attention may be called to the following five char- 
acteristics of his speech: humor; pathos; absolute clear- 
ness ; the climaxes ; and the terse epigrams. 

Right. — Attention may be called to the following five char- 
acteristics of his speech : humor, pathos, absolute clearness, 
the climaxes, and the terse epigrams. 

75. In Biblical References. — A semicolon is used in 
biblical references to separate passages containing chap- 
ters : as, Dent. 2:17-24; 3:1-10; 4:4-16. 

76. Instead of Commas. — A semicolon is used in a 
simple sentence to separate clauses and phrases that are 
in the same construction, but which are so broken by 
commas as to need some other sort of punctuation to 
keep the larger phrase- or clause-relations clear. 

a. It is evident that the semicolon in this instance 
performs the proper function of the comma and that its 
use thus is justified only by reason of the fact that it 
marks clearly the major divisions of the sentence or 
clause by avoiding confusion with commas that are per- 
forming other offices. 



The Semicolon 31 

b. If in such a construction semicolons are used to 
separate some of the phrases or clauses, a semicolon 
should separate all. The phrases or clauses should not be 
separated some by semicolons and some by commas. 

Wrong. — The room was dim with the delicious steam of 
candied apples and quinces, almost crystalline because of 
long cooking, creamy, yellow custards that one likes to 
bite and feel melt away in the mouth, spiced dainties, 
pungent yet mild, and immense cakes heavy with fruit and 
nuts. 
Right. — The room was dim with the delicious steam of 
candied apples and quinces, almost crystalline because of 
long cooking; creamy, yellow custards that one likes to 
bite and feel melt away in the mouth; spiced dainties, 
pungent yet mild ; and immense cakes heavy with fruit and 
nuts. 

77. In a Long Series of Clauses. — A semicolon is 
used to separate the members of a long series of clauses 
or phrases that have a common dependence on some other 
clause, phrase, or word. 

a. This use of the semicolon is found oftenest in res- 
olutions and long summarizing paragraphs. (See 182 a.) 
Right. — Because the summer vacation affords an opportunity 
for both students and teachers to obtain a much needed 
rest; because little profitable study can be done by growing 
boys and girls during the hot summer months of June, 
July, and August ; because many teachers need extra study, 
which can be obtained only during the summer vacation; 
because many students are compelled to earn their way 
through school, and a shortening of the vacation would 
necessitate their leaving college; I therefore maintain that 
the college summer vacation should not be shortened. 

78. After "Yes" and "No."— A semicolon is put 
after yes and no when they do not serve as introductory 
words to the sentences before which they stand, the 



32 Practical English Punctuation 

sentences that they would normally introduce having been 
omitted entirely. (See also 107.) 

Right. — Yes; and she gives such costly presents that one 
cannot give a little remembrance in return. 

79. Not in Simple or Complex Sentences. — Do not 

use a semicolon between the members of a simple or 
complex sentence, except in accordance with rules 74, 
76, 77. 

Wrong. — If the men who favor the motion will make a care- 
ful canvass of the club; they will find that a majority of 
the members are in favor of the old rule. 

Right. — If the men who favor the motion will make a care- 
ful canvass of the club, they will find that a majority of 
the members are in favor of the old rule. 

Wrong. — Though some thought that there was no harm in 
giving him a chance at the chairmanship ; others believed 
that he should have subordinated his ambition to that of 
the senator whose delegate he was chosen to be. 

Right. — Though some thought that there was no harm in 
giving him a chance at the chairmanship, others believed 
that he should have subordinated his ambition to that of 
the senator whose delegate he was chosen to be. 



The Comma 33 

VII. THE COMMA 

80. Between Independent Clauses. — A comma is 
used to separate the independent clauses of a compound 
sentence when short and closely connected. 

a. It should be noted that such independent clauses 
are practically always connected by conjunctions. It is 
permissible, though not advisable, to separate by commas 
clauses that are not connected by conjunctions, when such 
clauses are short, have no commas within themselves, and 
are closely parallel in construction and in thought. But 
except for such rare cases as these, the use of a comma 
to separate two grammatically complete, independent 
clauses not joined by a conjunction is an inexcusable 
rhetorical error. (See 73.) In particular, a comma 
should never be used to separate two independent clauses 
joined without and, but, for, or, or nor by one of the fol- 
lowing conjunctions: accordingly, also, besides, further- 
more, hence, however, indeed, moreover, nevertheless, 
otherwise, so, still, then, therefore, thus, yet. 

Permissible. — I came, I saw, I conquered. 
Permissible. — He toiled for his family, he toiled for his 
friends, he toiled for the world at large. 

Wrong. — Laws that ran counter to the customs and habits 

of the people were made the subject of ridicule, they were 

termed "scarecrow" laws. 
Right.— -Laws that ran counter to the customs and habits 

of the people were made the subject of ridicule; they were 

termed "scarecrow" laws. 
Wrong.— He determined that his children should be students, 

thus he might walk by proxy in the Elysian fields of liberal 

learning. 
Right— Hz determined that his children should be students; 

thus he might walk by proxy in the Elysian fields of liberal 

learning. 



34 Practical English Punctuation 

b. An independent clause introduced by so should 
not be confused with a dependent clause introduced by so 
that or an infinitive phrase introduced by so as to. So 
that introduces only dependent clauses ; so as to intro- 
duces only infinitive phrases ; and neither is preceded by 
any stronger mark of punctuation than a comma. 

Wrong. — He began fixing his watch a half-hour ago, so you 

may expect to find a few extra wheels in the nursery when 

you come. 
Right. — He began fixing his watch a half-hour ago ; so you 

may expect to find a few extra wheels in the nursery when 

you come. 
Wrong. — He practices diligently on his cornet every night; so 

that he may induce his neighbor next door to sell his house 

at a reduced price. 
Right. — He practices diligently on his cornet every night, so 

that he may induce his neighbor next door to sell his house 

at a reduced price. 
Wrong. — I fell backward ; so as to make him think I was hurt. 
Right. — I fell backward, so as to make him think I was hurt. 

81. Interrogative Sentence Following a Declara- 
tive. — When a declarative sentence is followed imme- 
diately by an interrogative sentence which depends for 
its full meaning on the preceding declarative one, the two 
are separated by a comma. 

Right. — This is the first of the month, isn't it? 
Right. — You will stay with me, won't you? 

82. Transposed Words, Phrases, and Clauses.— - 

Transposed words, phrases, and clauses are set off" by 
commas, unless the construction is entirely clear without 
the punctuation. 

Not Good. — In order to do this work must be begun early. 

Right. — In order to do this, work must be begun early. 



The Comma 35 

Wrong.— Further I may say that she is aware of the honor 

that has been done her. 
Right. — Further, I may say that she is aware of the honor 

that has been done her. 

a. An introductory adverbial phrase that does not 
contain a verb which modifies distinctly a verb, an ad- 
verb, or an adjective rather than the whole sentence or 
clause, is not generally set off by commas. 

Wrong. — In my home town, there is a man with two little 

fingers on each hand. 
Right. — In my home town there is a man with two little 

fingers on each hand. 
Wrong. — Once upon a time, there lived a man who had 

thirteen dogs and thirteen cats. 
Right. — Once upon a time there lived a man who had thirteen 
dogs and thirteen cats. 

83. Words, Phrases, and Clauses in a Series.— 

The members of a series of two or more words, phrases, 
or clauses standing in the same relation and not connected 
by conjunctions, are separated by commas. 

a. This of course includes the separation by commas 
of words and phrases arranged in pairs. 

Right. — She was tall, beautiful, well dressed, condescending. 

Right. — Working or playing, standing or sitting, in town 
or in the country, he was always up to some mischief. 

84. Modifying Adjectives. — When the series is one 
of modifying adjectives, care should be taken that the 
adjectives are coordinate in value: that is, that one ad- 
jective does not modify another adjective as well as the 
following noun. 

Right. — A dark, blue sediment was in the bottle. 
Right. — A dark blue mountain towered before us. 
Right. — She was wearing a bright, red dress. 
Right. — She was wearing a bright red dress. 



36 Practical English Punctuation 

85. Before the Conjunction in a Series. — If in a 
series of three or mbre words, phrases, or clauses only 
the last two members are joined by a conjunction, the 
comma is inserted before the conjunction just as if there 
were no connective. 

a. This is done to prevent the last two members from 
seeming to be a single unit in the series. 

b. If the series ends with an etc., a comma is also 
placed before, and usually after, the etc. 

Not Good. — He took it, looked at it and opened it. 
Right. — He took it, looked at it, and opened it. 

Wrong. — Those who were first to send telegrams of congratu- 
lation to Mr. Wilson were Champ Clark, Underwood, Mann 
of Virginia, Harmon, Dix of New York, Bryan and Till- 
man of South Carolina. 

Right. — Those who were first to send telegrams of congratu- 
lation to Mr. Wilson were Champ Clark, Underwood, Mann 
of Virginia, Harmon, Dix of New York, Bryan, and Till- 
man of South Carolina. 

Wrong. — Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels etc. were the 

books he read at that age. 
Right. — Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels, etc. were the 

books he read at that age. 

86. Omitted before Conjunctions in a Series. — 
When a conjunction is placed between all of the members 
of a series, the comma is usually omitted, though it is 
sometimes used in order to give emphasis to each separ- 
ate member. 

Right. — In his trousers' pocket were worms and fish-hooks and 

candy. 
Right. — At last he had found comfort, and rest, and silence. 

87. Caution. — When a series of words, phrases, or 
clauses forms the subject of a sentence, a comma is not 
placed after the last member of the series. 



The Comma 37 

Wrong. — Red, white, blue, and green, were the prevailing 

colors. 
Right. — Red, white, blue, and green were the prevailing 

colors. 

88. In a Formal Enumeration of Particulars. — In a 
formal enumeration of particulars that has been intro- 
duced by a colon, if the particulars are single words, or 
are short phrases or clauses without any marks of punctu- 
ation within themselves, they are separated by commas. 
(See also 74.) 

Wrong. — His themes may be classified under three heads : 
social satire; mental delusions; and child life. 

Right. — His themes may be classified under three heads : social 
satire, mental delusions, and child life. 

89. Non-restrictive Modifiers. — Non-restrictive or 
explanatory modifiers are set off by commas. 

a. Restrictive modifiers are not normally separated 
from the words modified by any marks of punctuation. 

b. A non-restrictive modifier that does not complete 
the meaning of the clause within which it falls, is both 
preceded and followed by a comma. 

Right. — For some time I listened intently to the furious fusil- 
lade that met this winged spy. [Restrictive] 

Right. — It is inconceivable that he could have had the weapons 
in the room with him, if we may trust the testimony of the 
other occupants of the house. [N on-restrictive] 

Right. — But a few seconds later, when the smoke had been 
wafted away, I saw the air-ship still poised bravely above 
the earth. [N on-restrictive] 

c. Restrictive and non-restrictive modifiers — words, 
phrases, and clauses — are usually difficult to grasp and, 
hence, to punctuate; so it may be worth while taking 
time to explain non-restrictive modifiers at some length. 
The following are the more important ones — 



38 Practical English Punctuation 

90. (1) Relative Clauses. — Non-restrictive or ex- 
planatory relative clauses are set off by commas. 

Right. — He took us to see a house that he had bought the 

day before. [Restrictive] 
Right. — He took us to see his room, which we found sadly 

in need of cleaning. [Non-restrictive] 

91. (2) Dependent Adverbial Clauses. — Non-re- 
strictive "adverbial clauses are set off by commas. 

a. As a rule, every adverbial clause, restrictive or 
non-restrictive, when it precedes its principal clause, is 
set off by a comma. 

Right. — I watched while he continued the search. [Restrict- 
ive] 
Right. — I watched in terror, while he continued the search 
as if he were unconscious of any danger. [N on-restrictive] 

Right. — He was on the point of leaving when I met him. 

[Restrictive] 
Right. — When I met him, he was on the point of leaving. 

92. (3) Adverbial Modifiers. — Non-restrictive ad- 
verbial modifiers are set off by commas. 

Right — He read Mr. Ploville's name last and the whole list 
with exasperating deliberation, to keep us in suspense as 
long as possible. [N on-restrictive] 
Right. — He withdrew leisurely from the room. [Restrictive] 
Right. — He withdrew, leisurely too, from the room. [Non- 
restrictive] 

93. (4) Adjective and Participial Modifiers. — Non- 
restrictive adjective and participial modifiers are set off 
by commas. 

Right. — The old and dilapidated house had been deserted for 
years. [Restrictive] 

Right. — The house, old and dilapidated, had been deserted for 
years. [Non-restrictive] 

Right. — We saw him giving up his seat in the first boat. [Re- 
strictive] 



The Comma 39 

Right. — Giving up his seat in the first boat, he came and 
stood by us. [Non-restrictive] 

94. (5) Parenthetic Expressions. — Set off by com- 
mas parenthetic words, phrases, and clauses, whether 
used at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence. 

a. This rule, necessarily inclusive and vague, is easi- 
ly abused. Many parenthetic words and phrases are 
abrupt and plainly parenthetical, and should evidently be 
set off by commas, but others interrupt the flow of the 
thought so slightly that no punctuation of any kind is 
needed. Hence great care should be exercised in follow- 
ing the rule. When in doubt, omit the punctuation. ( See 
also 130, 144.) 

Right. — He firmly believes, as do many others, that a boy 
can read with enjoyment this simple classic page. 

Right. — The series now includes, besides many other standard 
books frequently used in schools, the texts most commonly 
studied for entrance to college. 

b. If a parenthetic expression occurs in a phrase or 
clause that is already separated from the rest of the 
sentence by commas, or if the expression is decidedly in 
the nature of an aside, parentheses or dashes, instead of 
commas, may be used to set the expression off from the 
remainder of the sentence. (See 131, 146.) 

c. On the contrary, a parenthetic expression oc- 
curring within a parenthetic expression that is already 
marked by dashes, is set ofif by commas. 

Right. — For the most loftily renowned of writers have made 
slips, — slips, indeed, which might be forgiven, but not 
justified, — and they have wished greatly in after years that 
they might change them. 

d. When a parenthetic expression that is set off by 
commas is immediately preceded by the connectives or, 
nor, but, or and, the comma that would normally come 
between the connective and the parenthetic expression is 
often omitted. 



40 Practical English Punctuation 

Right — But to tell the truth, it was already time to adjourn. 
Right. — And besides, there was need for the money immedi- 
ately. 

e. When it is necessary to set off a parenthetic word, 
phrase, or clause by commas, do not fail (except as in d 
above) to put a comma both before and after it. 

Wrong. — It is my belief I may add, that the machine was im- 
perfect at first. 
Right. — It is my belief, I may add, that the machine was im- 
perfect at first. 
Wrong. — He did not insist, however on searching our trunks. 
Right. — He did not insist, however, on searching our trunks. 

/. The following eleven rules really come under 94, 
but for the sake of added clearness may be mentioned 
separately : — 

95. (a) Appositives. — Non-restrictive appositional 
words and phrases, including those introduced by or, are 
set off by commas. 

a. Note that restrictive appositives — appositives used 
to distinguish the words they modify from other persons, 
places, or things called by the same name — are not set 
off by commas. This rule also applies (1) to indirect 
questions introduced by whether, what, who, and how 
in restrictive apposition with such nouns as the question, 
and (2) to that- clauses in restrictive apposition with such 
nouns as the fact, the belief, and the statement, or with 
the provisional subject it. 

Right. — The steamer Elgin arrived first. 

Right. — The adjective principal is often confused with the 
noun principle. 

Right— William the Silent died in 1702. 

Right. — William Henderson, the so-called silent barber, is 

the most popular tonsorial artist in town. 
Right. — "Politics, or the science of lying," said he unjustly, 

"is one of the causes of our lack of legislation." 



The Comma 41 

Right. — The question whether he was present may possibly 

never be settled. 
Right. — The theory that he was referring to the king has 

never been proved. 
Right. — It is certain that he was in Italy at that time. 

b. The failure to set off by commas reflexive or in- 
definite pronouns joined for the sake of emphasis to 
nouns or other pronouns, is not an exception to the rule. 
Such pronouns are restrictive, and should not be set off 
by commas. 

Right. — The judge himself seemed dismayed. 
Right. — Somebody else confessed to the crime. 

c. In the case of informal apposition, if — were the 
appositive expression omitted — a comma would normally 
be put after the w^ord immediately preceding the apposi- 
tive element, a comma should precede each dash. (See 
132.) 

96. (&) After "namely," "that is," "i.e.," etc.— A 
comma is placed after namely, viz., that is, i.e., as, e.g., 
etc., when introducing an example or an illustration. 
(See also 68.) 

Wrong. — I had watched him anxiously all the year for two 
reasons : namely because I knew he was interested in the 
team and because I thought that he would be willing to 
help us. 

Right. — I had watched him anxiously all the year for two 
reasons: namely, because I knew he was interested in the 
team and because I thought that he would be willing to 
help us. 

97. (c) Contrasted Words and Phrases. — Con- 
trasted words, phrases, and clauses are separated by com- 
mas. 

Right. — Hard work, not genius, is the stuff of which success 

is made. 
Right. — Hyde says romance is still alive, but fast dying. 
Right. — The more he whistles, the better he works. 



42 Practical English Punctuation 

98. (d) Adverbs and Adverbial Phrases. — Commas 
are used to set off adverbs and adverbial phrases and 
clauses when modifying, not a single word, but an entire 
clause or sentence and filling the office of a conjunction. 

a. After all, for example, for instance, furthermore, 
however, indeed, in fact, in short, moreover, nevertheless, 
the concessive now, of course, on the contrary, on the 
other hand, that is, the illative then, therefore, etc., are 
some of the adverbs that are thus set off by commas. 

b. There is considerable divergence in practice here. 
When the sentence is short, or when the adverb is felt to 
be intimately connected with the thought of the clause 
or sentence, the commas are omitted ; and often the mere 
position of the adverb determines the insertion or the 
omission of the punctuation. 

Right. — In the first place, let me say that I object to having 

sectarianism injected into the argument. 
Right. — The fact is, she laughed when she saw my feet slip 

from the ground. 
Right. — The question had therefore resolved itself into a 

matter of the veracity of the two men. 
Right. — The question, therefore, had resolved itself into a 

matter of the veracity of the two men. 

99. (e) Modifying Words in Separate Phrases or 
Clauses. — When two or more coordinate phrases or 
clauses possess in common a word that is modified or 
governed by a different word in each phrase or clause, 
they are set off from the word and from each other by 
commas. 

Right. — He would have led us away from, rather than toward, 
the street for which we were looking. 

100. (/) Vocatives. — Words used in direct address 
are set off by commas. 



The Comma 43 

Right. — Marriage, little girl, is a lottery in which men stake 
their liberty and women their happiness. 

101. (g) Explanatory Dates and Geographical 
Names. — A date explaining a previous date, or a geo- 
graphical name explaining a preceding name, is set off by 
commas. 

Caution. — When the explanatory date or geographical 
name does not conclude the clause in which it stands, do 
not omit the comma afterward. 

Right. — Wilbur Wright, inventor of the airship, died May 30, 

1912, at Dayton, Ohio. 
Right. — Chicago, Illinois, is the second largest city in the 
United States. 

102. (h) Phrases Indicating Residence, Position, 
or Title. — Before of in phrases indicating residence, 
position, or title a comma is placed : as, Mr. Herbert 
James Hagerman, of Roswell, New Mexico; Congress- 
man I. L. Lenroot, of the Eleventh Wisconsin District. 

103. (i) Volume, Page, and Line Numbers. — A 
volume, page, or line number following the name of the 
book, magazine, play, or poem referred to, is set off by 
commas: as, Atlantic Monthly, cxn, 721; Deserted Vil- 
lage, 1. 21. 

104. (/) Academic and Honorary Titles. — Aca- 
demic and honorary titles are separated from proper 
names and from each other by commas. 

Right. — Rev. A. O. Barclay, D.D., LL.D., was president 
of the college. 

105. (k) Surname Followed by Initials — Baptismal 
names or initials following a surname are set off by 
commas. 



44 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — "Smith, E. M.," said the professor, "you may recite 
first." 

106. Absolute Construction. — Participial phrases 
when used in the absolute construction are set off by 
commas. 

Right. — This being the last time she had heard from him, she 
was naturally very much uneasy. 

107. After "Yes," "No," "Well," "Why," etc.— A 
comma is placed after such words as yes, no, well, why, 
etc., when introducing a sentence or a clause. (See also 
78.) 

Wrong. — Yes I myself believe that he was in the wrong. 
Right. — Yes, I myself believe that he was in the wrong. 

108. After Interjections. — Interjections that are 
but slightly exclamatory are followed by commas. 
(See also 48 a, 126.) 

Wrong. — Oh ! We had a fairly enjoyable trip. 
Right. — Oh, we had a fairly enjoyable trip. 

109. Before Short Quotations and Maxims. — Short, 
informal quotations, maxims, and similar expressions are 
introduced by commas. 

a. But if the informal quotation or maxim is gram- 
matically connected with the rest of the sentence, the 
comma is omitted. (See 25 a and 161.) 

Wrong. — With Browning I exclaim "The best is yet to be." 

Right. — With Browning I exclaim, "The best is yet to be." 

Wrong. — I can truly say that, "my lines have fallen in pleas- 
ant places." 

Right. — I can truly say that "my lines have fallen in pleasant 
places." 

Wrong — The proverb that he quoted was "He learned the 
luxury of doing good." 

Right. — The proverb that he quoted was, "He learned the 
luxury of doing good." 



The Comma 45 

110. Words Repeated for Emphasis. — Words re- 
peated for the sake of emphasis are separated by commas. 

Rig Jit. — Gold, gold, gold is the key that opens our doors in 
these modern days. 

111. To Indicate the Omission of Words. — A 

comma is used to indicate the omission of one or more 
words from a sentence. 

Right. — To eat is human; to sleep, divine. 

a. Often, however, such constructions are smooth 
enough not to require commas. 

Right. — His first utterance was followed by cheers, his second 
by hisses. 

112. Between Name of Author and Title of Book. 

— In foot-notes, catalogues of books, and bibliog- 
raphies generally, a comma is placed after the name of an 
author when followed immediately by the title of his 
book. 

Right. — Quackenbos, J. D., Practical Rhetoric. 
Right. — Lewis, Business English. 

113. After the Subject of a Sentence. — A comma is 
placed after a subject that ends in a verb, or is long and 
complex, or one that is made up of several parts which 
are themselves separated by commas. 

Right. — Whatever is, is right. 

Right. — One of the largest wildcats ever seen in that vicinity 
and the first one of any size that has been caught near 
Waukesha for some time, was captured by a farmer east 
of the town. 

114. In a Compound Predicate. — A comma is used 
to separate the members of a compound predicate when 
long or widely separate in thought. 



46 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — He nearly always gives to every beggar he meets, but 
is careful to remark afterward that he has just given a little 
dinner to an acquaintance of his. 

115. To Set off Certain Adverbs, Conjunctions, etc. 

— A comma is placed before or after certain words, 
especially adverbs, conjunctions, and prepositions, to 
distinguish them from the same words used as dif- 
ferent parts of speech, or to indicate readily their pre- 
cise relation to the rest of the sentence. 

Right. — Beyond, the hills were robed in a smoky blue. 

Right.— In the room were about sixty benches, and two stately 
chairs for the preachers. 

a. But a comma should not be inserted between a 
verb of saying, thinking, believing, etc., and a following 
that. This custom, once very common, is now practically 
obsolete. 

Wrong. — He was very wrong in supposing, that she would ac- 
cept his attentions under such circumstances. 
Right. — He was very wrong in supposing that she would ac- 
cept his attentions under such circumstances. 

116. In Large Numbers. — Commas are used to 
separate large numbers of 1,000 or more into groups of 
three figures each. 

a. Exception. — The comma is omitted in street, 
telephone, and automobile numbers, dates, etc. 

Right. — The population of the United States, according to the 

census of 1910, was 93,402,151. 
Right. — His address is 4315 Chicago Avenue. 

117. After the Salutation in Personal Letters. — A 

comma is placed after the salutation in personal letters. 
(See also 52, 69.) 

Right.— Mr. A. N. Alford, 

Columbus, Ohio. 
Dear Andrew, 



The Comma 47 

118. Broken Lines. — A comma is placed after the 
last word of the first part of a broken line, as in the com- 
plimentary close of a letter. (See also 53, 249-251.) 

Right. — I am, 

Yours very truly, 

Henry Dean. 

119. In Headings and Addresses of Letters. — In 
headings and inside addresses of letters, a comma is 
placed at the end of each line except the last, which takes 
a period. (See 239, 243.) 

a. Except periods after abbreviations, all punctua- 
tion is regularly omitted at the ends of the lines of the 
outside address. (See 255.) 

120. After "Resolved" and "Whereas" in Resolu- 
tions. — A comma is put in resolutions after such intro- 
ductory words as Resolved, Whereas, etc. (See also 
54, 182.) 

Right. — Resolved, that women should be given the right of 
suffrage. 

121. General Usage. — In general, commas are used 
to indicate any distinct pauses in sentences, except such 
pauses as require other marks of punctuation. 

122. Caution. — Be careful not to use commas ex- 
cept where they are a distinct necessity. Guard against 
close punctuation. The modern tendency is to omit com- 
mas unless they are necessary to the sense or to indicate 
a definite pause in the reading. 



48 Practical English Punctuation 

VIII. THE INTERROGATION-POINT 

123. After Questions. — An interrogation-point is 
placed after every complete question, even though the 
sentence may be written in the declarative form. 

Right. — What would you have done if you had been in his 

place? 
Right. — You say you take cream in your coffee? 

a. When a compound interrogative sentence is made 
up of separate independent questions or interrogative 
words, an interrogation-point is put after each separate 
query. In such a sentence the later questions, because 
of the closeness of their connection with the first and 
with each other, are not begun with capital letters. (See 
24 a.) 

Right. — But what of his father? or his sister? or his invalid 
mother? or of his possible future? 

b. Caution. — An interrogation-point should not be 
placed after an indirect question. 

Wrong. — She asked whether he had been invited? 
Right. — She asked whether he had been invited. 

124. After an Interrogative Part of a Sentence. — 
When the entire sentence is long and not altogether in- 
terrogative, an interrogation-point is sometimes put only 
after the interrogative part of the sentence. 

Right. — Could he be dreaming of wealth? — seeing that his 
soul was wrapped up in her, that he had never known want, 
and that he had no care for gold. 

125. In Parentheses. — An interrogation-point is 
often put in parentheses after a word or a date to express 
doubt concerning the truth or accuracy of the word or 
date. (See 150.) 

Right. — Chaucer was born in 1340(F). 



The Exclamation-Point 49 

IX. THE EXCLAMATION-POINT 

126. After Interjections and Exclamatory Phrases 
and Clauses. — An exclamation-point is placed after in- 
terjections and exclamatory phrases and clauses that ex- 
press strong emotion. 

a. Care should be exercised in using the exclamation- 
point. It is not needed after every interjection or after 
every exclamatory sentence, but only after those ex- 
pressing strong emotion. (See 48 a, 58, 108.) 

b. An exclamatory word, phrase, or clause followed 
by an exclamation-point, is usually treated as a separate 
sentence element, and any sentence following is begun 
with a capital letter. But if the exclamation is so slightly 
exclamatory as to be set off only by a comma (see 108), 
it is regarded as introductory to the sentence, the first 
word of which then begins with a small letter. 

Right. — "Ouch ! Oh ! I say, stop, please," he begged of us at 

last. 
Right. — The mischief! He had just agreed to stay. 
Wrong. — Well he seems to be doing his best. 
Right. — Well, he seems to be doing his best. 

127. To Express Doubt or Sarcasm. — The ex- 
clamation-point is frequently used to express doubt or 
sarcasm. 

Right. — That man a Democrat ! 
Right. — Lindell a church member! 

128. After Imperative and Declarative Sentences. 

—An exclamation-point is often put after an impera- 
tive sentence to express a strong command, or after a 
declarative sentence to express surprise at, or to lay em- 
phasis on, the truth of the fact stated. (See also 58, 126.) 
a. This usage is generally ignored, or else con- 
demned, by rhetoricians, but the fact that it is good usage 



50 Practical English Punctuation 

cannot be denied. Literature is replete with it. Great 
care, however, should be exercised by the beginner in 
following this rule. The following illustrations are taken 
from A Life for a Life, by Mr. Robert Herrick, himself 
a professor of English in the University of Chicago and 
joint author of Composition and Rhetoric for Schools: 

Right. — " 'Come !' she said, passing." 

Right. — "His woman of the snows had slept and awakened — 

thus !" 
Right. — " Tor now I know', she said softly, 'what it is to 

lose all !' " 



The Dash 51 

X. THE DASH 

129. To Mark a Sudden Break in the Thought.— 

A dash is used to mark a sudden suspension of the 
thought or a violent break in the construction of the 
sentence. 

a. If the sentence is left unfinished, a dash only (no 
period) is placed after it, and the next sentence begins 
with a capital letter. 

Right. — I wonder whether the men for whom he has done 
so much, who have accepted his services all these years — 
whether any of them will stand by him in his trouble. 

Right. — "You mean — What do you mean?" he asked. 

130. Parenthetic Expressions. — Dashes are used to 
set off parenthetic words, phrases, and clauses that are 
both structurally and logically detached from the sent- 
ence in which they are inserted. (See 94, 144.) 

a. Dashes thus used, constitute what is known as the 
double dash. A comma is placed before each dash only 
when the sentence would normally require such punctua- 
tion were there no parenthetic clause present. 

Right. — "Although the solid flesh of his face was lined with 
little marks, — the stout body must needs show its trace of 
use, — yet the appetite for life was keen." — Herrick. 

b. A parenthetic interrogative sentence thus enclosed 
between dashes does not begin with a capital letter, 
but is followed by an interrogation-point before the last 
dash. 

Right. — He was one of the first, if not the first, — will you 
correct me if I am wrong? — to respond to our plans 
for arbitration. 

131. Parenthetic Expressions within Parenthetic 
Expressions. — Dashes are used interchangeably with 



52 Practical English Punctuation 

parentheses to set off parenthetic expressions that occur 
within parenthetic expressions which are already sepa- 
rated from the remainder of the sentence by commas.' 
(See 94 b, 146, 153.) 

Right. — It has long been my opinion, if you will allow me to 
advance it now, — privately of course, — that much of her 
charm was due to the way in which she wore her hair. 

132. To Indicate Informal Apposition. — A dash is 
used to indicate informal apposition, in the same manner 
that the colon is made to denote formal apposition. (See 
65.) 

a. If a comma would normally be put after the last 
word preceding the appositive, were the appositive 
omitted, a comma is placed before each dash. (See 95 
and c.) 

Right. — The girl we were talking about — Marie Schneider, 
you may remember — emigrated from Germany only last 
year. 
Right. — "At last they reached that lake, — oval mirror of the 
mountains, fed by eternal snows, — exhaustless fount of 
power." — Herrick. 

133. Before Explanatory Phrases. — A dash is put 
before an explanatory phrase that repeats or modifies 
slightly, as if in afterthought, a preceding word or phrase. 

Right. — Certainly she was glad to see me — glad as she could 
possibly be under the circumstances — under such unfortu- 
nate circumstances. 

134. Before a Formal Quotation. — A dash is some- 
times put after a comma or a colon when introducing a 
formal quotation. 

Right. — "At last, low and startled, came her voice: — 'So you 
will put me from you? You will put me from you — by the 
breadth of the whole earth! Forever?' " — Herrick. 



The Dash 53 

135. When Introducing Formally a Separate Sen- 
tence Element. — A dash is put sometimes after, oc- 
casionally instead of, a colon when introducing formally 
a separate sentence element. 

Right.— Compare 27, 94 f } and 216 b. 

136. Before Summarizing Words. — A dash is put 
before a word that summarizes a series of phrases or 
clauses immediately preceding. 

a. Such words are these, those, such, all, etc. A 
comma or a semicolon is placed before the dash according 
as the preceding phrases or clauses are separated by com- 
mas or semicolons. 

Right. — Breakfast in bed, lunch at the club, a baseball game 
in the afternoon, a theatre at night, and a midnight lunch 
afterward in a questionable cafe, — such is his daily routine 
of pleasures. 

137. Before "namely," "viz.," etc. — Before namely 
as, that is, e.g., viz,, etc., when introducing an example or 
an illustration, a dash instead of a colon is sometimes 
placed. (See 68.) 

Right. — The statement was made that Rowland at an early 
age gave evidence of a reversion to type — namely, the type 
of his maternal grandfather. 

138. Between a Quotation and it's Author. — A dash 
is placed after the period between a quotation and its 
author, or between the quotation and the title of the book, 
magazine, or article from which it is taken. 

Right. — "Love Virtue; she alone is free." — Milton. 

139. In Dialogue. — Dashes are put between words 
in a dialogue to indicate difficulty or slow T ness of speech. 
(See 219.) 

Right. — The dying man answered heavily: "It wasn't — his 
fault; he— didn't — go — to shoot." 



54 Practical English Punctuation 

140. To Produce a Rhetorical Effect of Pause. — 
A dash is often put before a word or a group of words 
at the close of a sentence in order to produce a rhetorical 
effect of pause. 

Right. — And after all these years of slavery for the company 
he has been promoted to — what? 

141. Between Extreme Dates and Numbers. — A 

dash is put between two extreme dates or numbers to 
indicate the inclusion of all the years or numbers inter- 
vening between. 

a. In such consecutive dates and numbers, the fol- 
lowing rules should be observed : 

1. If the first number ends in two ciphers, or if the 
second extends into a different "hundred" from that of 
the first, both numbers must be written in full: as, 1800- 
1872, 1796-1832. 

2. If the first number does not end in two ciphers, 
and the second is not in a different "hundred" from the 
first, the second (except as in 3 below) may be indicated 
by two figures only: as, 1874-96. 

j. If the next to the last figure in the first number is 
a cipher, it should not be repeated in the second number : 
as, 1905-6. 

4. In citing dates b. c, both numbers should be writ- 
ten in full always (because representing a diminution in- 
stead of an increase) : as, 246-203 b. c. 

5. When a dash is placed between tw r o extreme num- 
bers, the use of the word from immediatedly preceding is 
wrong; or, if the word from immediately precedes two 
extreme numbers, the word to must be used between them 
instead of the dash. 

142. After the Period Following a Side-Head. — A 

dash is put after the period following a side-head. 



The Dash 55 

Right. — Compare the dash following Right after any of the 
foregoing rules, or in this illustration. 

143. To Indicate the Omission of Letters in a 
Name. — Dashes are used to indicate the omission of 
letters in a name that the writer does not wish to give in 
full. 

Right. — If C — y will communicate with his cousin in F — , she 
will answer his question. 



56 Practical English Punctuation 

XL PARENTHESES 

144. Parenthetic Phrases and Clauses. — Paren- 
theses are used to include inserted explanatory phrases 
or sentences that have no grammatical connection with the 
main sentence or paragraph. 

a. As a rule it is well to avoid the use of parentheses, 
since such disconnected phrases tend to make a sentence 
heavy and awkward. By changing the construction such 
phrases and clauses can usually be included as an integral 
part of the sentence, the double dash frequently being 
allowed to take the place of the parentheses. Indeed, 
there is a strong tendency at present to permit the double 
dash to do duty for the parentheses. (See 24 b, 130.) 

Right. — She is terribly straight and angular (I am afraid 

Frank said she was bony) ; she has high, sharp cheek bones; 

and her bare arms are lean and long. 

145. Punctuation before and after Parentheses. — 

Do not use a comma or any other mark of punctuation 
with parentheses unless such a mark would normally be 
required were there no parentheses present; and unless 
the parenthetic expression is immediately preceded by 
an abbreviation, or is an independent sentence of a para- 
graph, or is a figure or a letter marking a division of an 
enumeration of particulars, no punctuation of any kind 
ever precedes. 

a. In like manner, a mark of punctuation may not be 
placed immediately before the second parenthesis ex- 
cept when the parenthetic expression ends with an abbre- 
viation or is an independent sentence in a paragraph. 

Wrong. — The Democratic caucus will be held (for this is 
the appointed year), on the eighteenth of this month. 

Right. — The Democratic caucus will be held (for this is the 
appointed year) on the eighteenth of this month. 



Parentheses 57 

Wrong. — And as long as they do not care for anyone, (for 
that is really what lack of friendship means ; a close 
friendship cannot be formed without love), they are worth- 
less to themselves and to the world. 

Right. — And as long as they do not care for anyone (for 
that is really what lack of friendship means ; a close 
friendship cannot be formed without love) 1 , they are worth- 
less to themselves and to the world. 

146. Interchangeable with Dashes. — Parentheses 
are used interchangeably with dashes to set off paren- 
thetic expressions that occur within parenthetic expres- 
sions which are already separated from the remainder of 
the sentence by commas. (See 94 b, 131, 153.) 

Right. — Mrs. Tuttle, still handsome (as she continued to be 
for some years yet) and still widowed, passed him one day 
and looked fixedly at a point one foot above his head. 

147. Abbreviations of Political Parties. — Abrevia- 
tions of political parties placed after the names of news- 
papers, magazines, or public officials for the purpose of 
indicating political affiliations, are enclosed in parentheses : 
as, New York World (Dem.), Senator Robert M. La Fol- 
lette (Rep.). 

148. In Titles of Newspapers and Magazines. — 
Names of cities, states, and countries inserted in or 
placed after the titles of newspapers and magazines to 
distinguish their place of publication, are enclosed in 
parentheses: as, the United Mine Workers' Journal (In- 
dianapolis), Springfield (Mass.) Republican, Pall Mall 
Gazette (London). 

149. Figures and Letters in Enumerations. — Fig- 
ures and letters that are used to mark definite divisions 
of an essay, paragraph, outline, or syllabus are enclosed 
in parentheses. (See 47 a.) 



58 Practical English Punctuation 

a. In long outlines, syllabuses, and the like, the fol- 
lowing scheme of notation and indentation may be fol- 
lowed with profit : 

A. This topic treats of ... . 
I. This topic treats of ... . 
a. This topic treats of ... . 
1. This topic treats of ... . 
(a) This topic treats of ... . 
(1) This topic treats of ... . 
a) This topic treats of ... . 
1 ) This topic treats of ... . 
(a) This topic treats of . . . . 
Right. — I would call your attention to the following points: 
(a) woman's past position; (b) her legal status .... 

150. About Interrogation-Points Expressing Doubt. 

— Interrogation-points that are used to express doubt 
concerning the truth or accuracy of a phrase, word, 
or date, are enclosed in parentheses. (See 125.) 
Right. — Richard I was born at Oxford(?) in 1157. 



Brackets 59 

XII. BRACKETS 

151. Interpolations in Direct Quotations. — Brack- 
ets are used in direct quotations to enclose matter written, 
not by the author quoted, but by the person quoting. 

a. Brackets, [ ], should not be confused with paren- 
theses, ( ). In a quotation, words enclosed in paren- 
theses are understood to have been written by the author 
of the quotation ; words enclosed in brackets are under- 
stood to have been interpolated by the one quoting. (See 
169.) 

Wrong. — "His (Paderewski's) young manhood was full of 
pathos, and he put the tragedy of his grief into his playing." 

Right. — "His [Paderewski's] young manhood was full of 
pathos, and he put the tragedy of his grief into his playing." 

152. To Correct Mistakes in Quotations. — Brackets 
are used to correct mistakes in quotations. 

Right. — "Swinburn[e]'s education in Germany [France] was 
begun . . . ." 

153. Parentheses within Parentheses. — Brackets 
are used for parentheses within parentheses. (See 146.) 

Right. — Trench's statement (see his On the Study of Words 
[revised English edition], p. 83) is that the Germans, know- 
ing nothing of carbuncles .... 

154. To Enclose Notes and Explanations. — Brack- 
ets are used to enclose notes and explanations made by 
editors or publishers. 

Right. — [In connection with "Insects and Greek Poetry," the 
student should read Hearn's "Insect Musicians." — The 
Editors] 



60 Practical English Punctuation 

XIII. QUOTATION-MARKS 

155. Direct Quotations. — Quotation-marks are used 
to enclose direct quotations. 

156. Verse. — When one or more complete lines of 
poetry are quoted, they are begun each on a new line, and, 
because of the shorter length of the verse lines, are 
usually set in from the regular margin at the left of the 
page. 

Right. — He quoted Wesley's hymn beginning, 
"I long to see thy face ; 

Thy Spirit I implore, 
The living water of thy grace, 
That I may thirst no more." 

157. Quotations of More than One Stanza. — When 
a single quotation includes more than one stanza, quota- 
tion-marks are repeated at the beginning of each, and are 
placed, not at the end of each, but only after the last word 
of the final one. In this way alone is the quotation shown 
to be continuous. If the different stanzas quoted are the 
words of a single writer, but are not continuous, ellipses 
(four periods) are inserted to indicate that a part has 
been omitted, and quotation-marks are used as if the 
quoted matter were continuous. But when the different 
stanzas are the words of different writers, quotation- 
marks are put at the beginning and at the end of each. 
(See 167 ex.) 

Right. — We could plainly hear him repeating the well-known 
song in Charles Kingsley's The Saint's Tragedy : 
"Oh ! that we two were Maying 

Down the stream of the soft spring breeze ; 
Like children with violets playing 
In the shade of the whispering trees. 



Quotation-Marks 61 

"Oh ! that we two lay sleeping 

In our nest in the churchyard sod, 
With our limbs at rest on the quiet earth's breast, 
And our souls at home with God." 

a. In quotations of verse it should be noted that the 
initial quotation-marks are always placed outside the 
stanza margin at the left, so that the lines themselves shall 
stand exactly as originally written. On the other hand, 
the mistake should not be made of putting quotation- 
marks within the stanza outside the left-hand margin line. 
Such quotation-marks are written flush with the margin. 

Right. — "In reason's ear they all rejoice, 
And utter forth a glorious voice, 
Forever singing as they shine, 
The hand that made us is divine'." 

158. Grouping Lines of Verse. — The lines of a 
poetical quotation should be written in the same length 
and grouping as that made by the author. If a line of 
the quoted verse is so long that it cannot all be written 
on one line of the page, the part left over should be 
placed, doubly indented, on the line below. 

Wrong. — "Silently one by one in the infinite meadows of 
Heaven, 

Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of 
the angels." 
Wrong. — "Silently one by one in the infinite meadows of 
Heaven, 
Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of 
the angels." 
Right. — "Silently one by one in the infinite meadows of 
Heaven, 
Blossomed the lovely stars, the forget-me-nots of 
the angels." 



62 Practical English Punctuation 

Not Good. — "Work — work — work, 

Till the brain begins to swim ; 
Work — work — work, 
Till the eyes are heavy and dim ! 
Seam, and gusset, and band, 
Band, and gusset, and seam, 
Till over the buttons I fall asleep, 
And sew them on in a dream !" 
Right. — "Work — work — work, 

Till the brain begins to swim; 
Work — work — work, 

Till the eyes are heavy and dim ! 
Seam, and gusset, and band, 

Band, and gusset, and seam, 
Till over the buttons I fall asleep, 

And sew them on in a dream !" 

159. Long Prose Quotations. — When a formally 
introduced prose quotation of three or four sentences, or 
more, is made, it is begun on a new line and usually is 
printed in smaller type. When the quotation includes 
more than one paragraph, quotation-marks are repeated 
at the beginning of each paragraph and are placed, not 
at the end of each, but only after the last word of the 
final one. This use of the quotation-marks shows that 
the quoted matter is continuous. If the different para- 
graphs quoted are the words of a single writer or speaker, 
but are not continuous, ellipses (four periods) are in- 
serted to indicate that a part has been omitted, and 
quotation-marks are used as if the selection were con- 
tinuous. But when the different paragraphs are the 
words of different writers or speakers, quotation-marks 
are put at the beginning and the end of each paragraph. 
(See 167 ex., 220.) 



Quotation-Marks 63 

Right. — See 2, p. 2 in this volume. 

Right. — His editorial is remarkable in many respects. Let 
me quote live short paragraphs of it to you : — 

"Prettiness palls, unless it is backed up by intellect. 
The merely clever woman is nearly as bad as the clever 
man. All these people who carry most of their goods in 
the show window are headed for jobs at the button coun- 
ter. .... 

"Brilliant men are but ordinary men, who at intervals 
are capable of brilliant performances. Not only are they 
ordinary most of the time, but often at times they are 
dull, perverse, prejudiced," and absurd. However, they are 
sometimes right, and this is better than to be dead wrong 
all the time 

"Great thoughts and great deeds are the children oi 
married minds. 

"When you find a great man playing a big part on life's 
stage, you will find in sight, or just around the corner, a 
great woman. Read history ! . . . . 

"We are all just children in the Kindergarten of God, 
and we want play-fellows " 

160. Paragraph Indentations in Quotations. — 

When quoting formally a long extract, unless the selec- 
tion commences at the beginning of a paragraph, the first 
line should not be indented. Likewise, unless the last 
sentence of the quotation ends a paragraph, the writer 
should not indent the first word of the next line of his 
own composition. 

161. Informal Quotations. — When a short quota- 
tion, or a long one informally introduced, is quoted, it is 
written without any break in the line or any indentation 
in the margin. (See 25 a.) 

Right. — It has always seemed to me a satire on married life 
that "young men love so to sit in hammocks with the girls, 
while married men are always afraid they will wrinkle their 
coats." 

162. Dialogue or Conversation. — When dialogue 
or conversation is quoted, each separate speech, together 



64 Practical English Punctuation 

with the author's comment on the speech or the speaker, 
is indicated by indenting and making a new paragraph. 

Exception. — In rare cases, and for the sake of saving 
space, the utterances of different persons are all quoted in 
the same paragraph, the individual speeches being separ- 
ated by dashes. This use, however, is practically obsolete 
now. 

Right. — "What is William Harrop doing these days?" asked 
Smithers. 

"Oh, he's working his son's way through college," 
said she. 

163. Quotations within Quotations. — In the case 
of a quotation within a quotation, single quotation-marks 
are used; then double quotation-marks are used within 
single quotations; etc. 

Exception. — Following the usage of English pub- 
lishers, the custom is rapidly gaining ground in America 
of putting the first quotation in single quotation-marks 
and the quotation-within-the-quotation in double marks. 
Right. — "I can't remember the exact words," said Tom; "it 
was from Pope and had something in it about 'earnest eyes 
and round unthinking face'." 

164. Verse within a Prose Quotation. — When one 
or more lines of verse occur in a prose quotation, they 
should begin on a new line. And, in turn, the prose fol- 
lowing the verse quotation should begin on a new line, 
indented if it begins a new paragraph, even with the mar- 
gin at the left if it continues the thought of the para- 
graph that contains the quotation. And a trifle wider 
space should be left before and after the verse quo- 
tation than intervenes between the consecutive prose 
lines. 

Right.. — "Let me quote from Rossetti's Life of Keats," he 
said. "Mr. Rossetti writes as follows : 



Quotation-Marks 65 

" To one of these phrases a few words of comment 
may be given. That axiom which concludes the "Ode on a 
Grecian Urn" — 

" ' "Beauty is truth, truth beauty, — that is all 
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know," 
is perhaps the most important contribution to thought 
which the poetry of Keats contains : it pairs with and 
transcends 

" ' "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." ' 

"And now I shall conclude my first point," he continued, 
"by remarking that " 

165. Interpolated Expressions in Quotations. — 

At every break in a quotation by such phrases, for ex- 
ample, as said he, the quotation-marks are repeated, and 
a comma, an exclamation-point, or an interrogation-point 
precedes according to the normal punctuation required. 
But if a period, a colon, or a semicolon would normally 
come before the interpolated said he, a comma is used 
instead and the period, colon, or semicolon put afterward. 
Right. — "If our cook were a near relative," he added, "she 

could not act worse." 
Right. — "By Jove !" he exclaimed suddenly. "This paper says 
that only one in every thousand married couples lives to 
celebrate the golden wedding anniversary." 
Right.— "Mother, why are jay-birds blue?" the youngster 

asked simply. 
Right. — "Man's inhumanity to man makes countless thousands 

of dollars," he quoted. 
Right. — "Providence has usually been good to Hannah," he 
remarked with pretended innocence ; "she has always had 
something to grieve about." 
Right. — "I should like to call your attention to the three 
following points," he began : "his life, his death, and his 
record of achievement." 

166. Relative Position of Quotation-Marks. — Quo- 
tation marks are regularly put outside other marks of 



66 Practical English Punctuation 

punctuation when those marks refer to the quotation 
alone ; otherwise they are put inside. But most publish- 
ers place the quotation-marks outside commas and periods 
even when those marks should not be included, as when 
a single word or a short phrase is quoted at the close of a 
sentence. 

167. Indented Lines in Quotations. — It should be 
carefully noted that in all quotations, except extracts 
from plays, quotation-marks are put at the beginning 
of every indented line occurring, for no matter what 
reason, in the quotation, — these in addition to the 
regular quotation-marks at the beginning and the 
end of the extract. 

Exception. — Many publishers to-day print long formal 
quotations of prose or verse in different type from the 
rest of the page and without quotation-marks. (See 159.) 

Right. — "Executive Mansion, Washington, 

"November 21, 1864. 
"Mrs. Bixby, 

"Boston, Massachusetts. 
"Dear Madam : 

"I have been shown in the files of the War De- 
partment a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts 
that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on 
the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any 
words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief 
of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering 
to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the 
Republic they died to save. I pray that your heavenly Father 
may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you 
only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn 
pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the 
altar of freedom. 

"Yours very sincerely and respectfully, 

"Abraham Lincoln." 



Quotation-Marks 67 

168. Quotation-Marks at the End of Quotations. — 

The writer should take particular care to see that 
quotation-marks are put at the end as well as at the 
beginning of the quoted matter, and that all phrases, 
or single striking words even, when quoted, are prop- 
erly enclosed in quotation-marks. The utmost honesty 
should be observed in giving full credit to whom credit 
is due. 

a. Exception to the foregoing statements is made 
only in the case of quotations that are so well known that 
quotation-marks become a hindrance. Well-known prov- 
erbs, for instance, and many Shaksperean phrases do not 
require quotation-marks. 

Right. — In maiden meditation, fancy free, she still lives, so 

far as I know. 
Right. — He bade him throw physic to the dogs and get into 
the woods for his health. 

169. Exactness Necessary in Quotations. — When 
quoting the words of a writer, quote him exactly, using 
his exact words, punctuation, capitalization, and all, no 
matter how wrong he may be. Whatever is inside 
the quotation-marks is known to belong to the writer 
or speaker quoted ; it is his own, and he alone is re- 
sponsible for it ; and the person quoting has no right 
to change it in any way. (See 151, however.) 

170. Indirect Quotations. — Do not use quotation- 
marks to enclose an indirect quotation. 

Wrong. — He said "that, of all colors, he believed he loved 

red best." 
Right. — He said that, of all colors, he believed he loved red 

best. 
Right. — He said, "Of all colors I believe I love red best," 



68 Practical English Punctuation 

171. Titles of Books, Plays, Poems, etc. — Quota- 
tion-marks are used to enclose the titles of books and book 
series, plays, poems, magazine articles, chapter divisions, 
musical compositions, paintings, lectures, addresses, 
sermons, toasts, etc. 1 

Exception. — The names of the Bible, of other sacred 
books, and the books and divisions of the Bible are not 
put in quotation-marks. 

Good. — Robert Herrick's Together and Shakespere's Hamlet 
were lying on the table. 

Right. — Robert Herrick's "Together" and Shakspere's "Ham- 
let" were lying on the table. 

Right. — The title of the poem was "When We Were Seven." 

Right — The article was headed "The Church and its Critics." 

Good. — A selection from Lohengrin was next on the program. 

Right. — A selection from "Lohengrin" was next on the pro- 
gram. 

Right. — A copy of Watts's "Hope" was among the collection. 

172. Technical Terms. — Quotation-marks are used 
to enclose technical terms that are supposedly unfamiliar 
to the reader. 

Right. — Our geologist thought the rock "fibrolitic." 
Right. — You will notice that its flowers have the "gamo- 
sepalous" calyx. 

1. Many rhetoricians advise the use of italics for the names of books, 
plays, and musical compositions, and it would seem that the tendency among 
the learned American journals of to-day is in that direction; but an ex- 
amination of a list of representative English and American magazines shows 
that a majority of them still favor quotation-marks. The author has made 
such an examination and has set down the results of his study in the table 
on page 69. 

In this table a "Q" set opposite a name and a magazine means that 
that magazine writes names of that class in quotation-marks; "It" means 
that that magazine writes such names in italics; and "Caps" means that 
that magazine does not use either italics or quotation-marks, but merely 
begins the names of that class with capital letters. And where both an "It" 
and a "Q" or a "Caps" and a "Q" are found together, it is meant that 
that magazine is not consistent in its usage, but varies from one way to 
the other. 



Quotation-Marks 



69 



w 


hd 


g 


*d 


n 


hj 


>! 


ft 


w 




•5" 


CO 

5' 


c 

en 


o 
3 




Co 


en 


p 

p 


o 
o 
ft* 






3 


Si 


0] 


p >-t 

N 




p 

T3 


N 








C/3 


3 

o 




3 ffi 




en 


en 






n 




















•a 

en 


OS 


O 


O 


O 


O 


h— 1 


" 


O 


Athenaeum 


n 


o 


















Co 

•a 

C/3 


°l 


OS 


os 


O 


- 


-> 


"■ 


S 


Atlantic Monthly 


» 


o 


i— ( 


o 


O 


s 


s 


s 


h- 1 


Bookman 


s 


o 


n 

OS 

CO 


o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


Century Magazine 


O 


o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


O 


O 


o 


Edinburgh Review 


H 






o 


o 


o 


i— i 


M 




Harper's Monthly 


*"*" 


•"^ 






" 




Magasin e 




o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


s 




o 


Literary Digest 


O 


o 


s 


OS 


o 


s 


KH 


1— 1 


s 


Modern Philology 


n 


o 


















CO 
en 


Co 
en 


o 


o 


o 


o 


S 


rt 


o 


Nation 


oS 


D.S 


OS 


OS 


o 


o 


OS 


OS 


OS 


North American 
Review 


o 














o 






CO 


O 


o 


o 


o 


o 


O 


©£ 


o 


Outlook 


Cfl 














en 












o 


o 










Popular Science 


^ 


O 


o 


iw^j 


W2 


o 




«* 


o 


Monthly 


O 


O 


o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


Quarterly Rcvieiv 


^ 


o 


o 


o 


o 


o 


s 


h- 1 


o 


Scribner's Magazine 



70 Practical English Punctuation 

173. In Translations. — The English equivalent of 
a foreign word, phrase, or passage immediately following 
the expression of which it is a translation, is put in quota- 
tion-marks : as, Klein, Geschichte des Italienischen 
Dramas ("History of the Italian Drama") ; La fin 
couronne I'ceuvre, "The end crowns the work," or "All is 
well that ends well." 

174. Words in Definition. — Words and phrases ac- 
companied by their definitions are usually put in quota- 
tion-marks. 

Right. — "To hole out" is a golf term meaning to play the ball 
into one of the holes on the course. 

175. Slang, Colloquial, and Coined Words. — Quo- 
tations-marks are used to enclose slang, colloquial, and 
coined words and phrases that the writer knows to be not 
in good usage. 

a. Note, however, that many words and phrases com- 
monly supposed to be slang are really good English ex- 
pressions : as, bamboozle, brace up, bugbear, cut a caper, 
cut a class, day-dreams, dude, fetch, foxy, hoax, humbug, 
milksop, ninny, skinflint, to stick to (a friend), the why 
and wherefore, tomfoolery, willy nilly, etc. 

b. Exception. — In a quoted speech, or in a colloquial 
or humorous context where the writing is purposely lack- 
ing in dignity, slang and colloquialisms are not enclosed 
in quotation-marks. 

Right — "Dan Stott would not have wept if Joe had reviled 
his father for selling poisonous food. He would straight- 
way have 'punched the face off' the family detractor/' — 
Herrick. 

Right. — The feudists in the mountains of Kentucky customari- 
ly pay a certain amount a day and "found" for watching 
the cabins of the opposing clans. 



Q UOTATION-M ARKS 7 1 

176. Nicknames. — Do not use quotation-marks to 
enclose the nicknames of persons, whether in real life or 
in fiction, who are known as well by their nicknames as 
by their proper names. 

Not Good. — 'Teddy" Roosevelt; "Doc Sammy"; etc. 
Right. — Teddy Roosevelt; Doc Sammy; etc. 

177. Titles of Themes, — Unless the title of a theme 
is a quotation, do not use quotation-marks to enclose the 
title. 



72 Practical English Punctuation 

XIV. ITALICS 

178. Magazines, Newspapers, and Ships. — Italics 
are used to distinguish the names of magazines, news- 
papers, and ships. (See table, page 69.) 

a. Italics are also used to indicate the titles of books, 
plays, and musical compositions, — and the learned jour- 
nals favor this usage, — but the preponderance of usage is 
still in favor of quotation-marks. (See 171.) In indicat- 
ing the titles of books, plays, and musical compositions, 
however, do not use both italics and quotation-marks. 

Right. — Copies of the Atlantic Monthly and the Appleton 
(Wisconsin) Post were on the table before him. 

Right. — The Titantic sank on April 15, 1912. 

Wrong: — The satire in "Vanity Fair" is often keen. 

Good. — The satire in Vanity Fair is often keen. 

Right. — The satire in "Vanity Fair" is often keen. 

179. Side-Heads and Paragraph Titles. — Italics are 
used to mark side-heads and the titles of sections and 
paragraphs. 

a. Titles of sections and of paragraphs are also 
printed in black-face type. 

Right. — Compare 150 and the illustration given there. 

180. Foreign Words. — Unnaturalized foreign words 
are italicized. 

Exception 1. — Foreign institutions or places and for- 
eign titles preceding names are not italicized : as, the 
German Reichstag, Rue de Rivoli, Champs Elysees, Pere 
Lafitau, etc. 

Exception 2. — Anglicized foreign words are not itali- 
cized even though they may retain the pronunciation of 
the original language. Such words are : aide-de-camp, 
attache, bas-relief, bona fide, bric-a-brac, cafe, chauffeur, 
confrere, data, debris, debut, decollete, denouement, doc- 
trinaire, elite, ennui, entree, ex officio, expose, fagade, 



Italics 73 

facsimile, fete, habeas corpus, habitue, literati, litterateur, 
massage, matinee, melee, menu, naive, nee, nom de plume, 
per annum, per capita, per cent, post-mortem, prima 
facie, protege, pro tern [pore], questionnaire, rendezvous, 
resume, reveille, role, savant, sobriquet, soiree, table 
d'hote, tete-a-tete, umlaut, versus, via, vice versa. 

Exception 3.— When direct quotations are made from 
a foreign language, the quoted matter is enclosed in 
quotation-marks and printed in roman type. 

Right. — His pseudo studious habits were a joke while he was 

in college. 
Right. — "Charles Egbert Craddock" is the nom de plume of 
Miss Mary N. Murfree. 

181. For Emphasis. — Italics are used to lay stress 
upon a word when special emphasis upon it is necessary, 
or when the word is used, not to convey the idea or image 
that it normally conveys, but as a word simply. 

Caution. — Avoid italicizing words for emphasis. Do 
not use italics to stress a word or phrase unless there is 
an especially good reason for doing so. The abuse of 
italics for unnecessary emphasis on words is one of the 
commonest faults among young writers. 

Right. — Compare as a word in this rule. 

Not Good. — It is rum, rum alone, that is causing these evils. 

Right. — It is rum, rum alone, that is causing these evils. 

Right. — Such words as enthuse and alright have been trying 
to get into good usage for years. 

182. "Whereas" and "Resolved" in Resolutions.— 

In resolutions the words Whereas and Resolved are 
italicized. (See also 54, 120.) 

a. It should be noted that each Whereas- or Resolved- 
clause is begun on a new line, with paragraph indentation, 
and is punctuated (according to 77) with a semicolon at 
the end. 



74 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — Whereas, The Liberty School building has been for 
months in great need of repair; and 

Whereas, The funds now in the hands of the trustees 
are inadequate to meet the cost of necessary repairs; and 

Whereas, The present building is insufficient to ac- 
commodate the recent increased enrolment; and 

Whereas, For a cost of fifteen hundred dollars all 
necessary repairs may be made and the building sufficiently 
enlarged to meet all present needs of the enrolment; and 
Whereas, A tax upon the patrons of the school suffi- 
cient to cover the fifteen hundred dollars needed, would 
necessitate a cost of only ten dollars for each pupil in 
school; therefore be it 

Resolved, (1) That the town council be and is hereby 
empowered to levy upon the parents or guardians of the 
pupils in school a tax of ten dollars for each scholar in at- 
tendance, said tax to be paid in two yearly installments of 
five dollars each ; 

Resolved, (2) That the trustees be instructed to pro- 
ceed immediately with the enlargement of the school build- 
ing and with all necessary repairs, it being stipulated that 
such alterations shall not exceed fifteen hundred dollars in 
cost. 

183. "To be Continued;' "Concluded," etc.— The 
words Continued, To be Concluded, etc., after headlines 
and titles and at the end of articles, are italicized. 

Right. — The Church and its Critics — Concluded. 

184. Reference Words and Abbreviations. — The 

following reference words and abbreviations are regularly 
italicized : ad loc, circa, ibid, idem, infra, loc. cit., op. cit., 
passim, q. v., supra, s. v., vide. 

a. The following abbreviations, however, are not 
italicized : cf ., e.g., etc., i.e., viz., vs. 

185. In Responsive Readings. — Italics are used in 
responsive readings to distinguish the paragraphs or 



Italics 75 

verses that are to be read by the audience from those read 
by the leader. 

Right. — I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall 
continually be in my mouth. 

My soul shall make her boast in the Lord ; the hum- 
ble shall hear thereof and be glad. 

O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His 
name together. . . . 

186. Letters of the Alphabet. — Letters of the alpha- 
bet are italicized ( 1 ) when used to designate lines, quan- 
tities, etc., in geometric, algebraic, and similar matter ; 
(2) when used to mark the items of an enumeration of 
particulars; (3) when affixed to the numbers of pages, 
sections, foot-notes, etc., to indicate fractional parts there- 
of ; and (4) when used as letters only. 

Right.— L^y the line AB upon the line BC ; xy raised to the 

nth. power ; ar-\-2ab-\- £r=42. 
Right.— See 149 a. 

Right. — Compare the reference immediately preceding this. 
Right. — Compare the first Right illustration under 196. 

187. Titles after Signatures. — A title or position 

added after a signature is italicized. 

Right. — David Starr Jordan, 

President. 



76 Practical English Punctuation 

XV. THE APOSTROPHE 

188. Possessive Case. — The apostrophe is used to 
indicate the possessive case. 

189. Possessive Case Singular. — The possessive 
case singular is regularly indicated by the apostrophe and 
s, even though the noun may end with two s's. 

Exception. — In order to avoid excessive sibilance, the 
.9 is regularly omitted after dissyllabic and polysyllabic 
nouns ending in an ^-sound. 

Right. — Burns's poems were easily the most popular with 
them. 

Right. — Furness's edition is the authorative one. 

Right. — The name of Ulysses' son was Telemachus. 

Right. — For conscience' sake he did it. 

190. Possessive Case Plural. — When the plural of 
a noun ends in s, the plural possessive is formed by add- 
ing the apostrophe alone to the nominative plural. But 
if the plural does not end in s, the apostrophe and s are 
added to indicate the possessive case plural. 

Right. — Boys' shoes, not men's, are included in the sale. 

191. Possessive Case of Appositive Nouns. — The 

possessive case of appositive nouns is indicated by placing 
the apostrophe and the s after the noun nearest the object 
possessed. 

Right. — He was riding in Dr. Reid, the physician's, motor. 

192. Double Possessive. — Except in the case of 
possessive pronouns (see 194), the apostrophe and the s 
are used to indicate what is sometimes called the double 
possessive. 

Right. — She is a friend of Alice's. 
Right. — They are friends of ours. 

193. Other Possessives. — It is often awkward, but 
sometimes necessary nevertheless, to indicate the pos- 



The Apostrophe 77 

sessive case of a noun that is immediately followed by a 
prepositional phrase, or to indicate the possessive case 
of two or more nouns in the same construction, each of 
which, however, possesses the object conjointly with the 
others. In such cases the apostrophe and the «? are placed 
after the last noun. 

Right. — He was riding in the congressman from Mississippi's 
automobile. 

Right. — Henderson and Burns's Elementary Grammar is used. 

194. Possessive Pronouns. — Possessive pronouns 
do not take the apostrophe, though the possessive case of 
the pronominal adjectives one and other is indicated by 
the apostrophe and the s. 

Right. — Hers, its, theirs, yours, oars; but another s, other's, 
one's. 

195. Omission of Letters or Figures. — The apos- 
trophe is used to indicate the omission of one or more 
letters from a word or of one or more figures from a date. 

Right. — "She hasn't learned to spell her name yet," he said. 
Right. — They were both members of the class of '61. 

196. Plurals of Figures, Letters, and Words. — The 

apostrophe is used with an s to indicate the plural of fig- 
ures and letters, and of words when used as w r ords only. 

a. Quotation-marks should not be used with the 
apostrophe and s to indicate such plurals. 

Wrong. — Your "2's" look like small "a's." 

Right. — Your 2's look like small a's. 

Right.— The sentence has too many and's in it. 

197. Past Tense of Coined Verbs. — An apostrophe 
is used before a d to indicate the past tense of coined 
verbs. 

Right. — To be thee'd and thou'd thus was an unusual ex- 
perience in my daily life. 



78 Practical English Punctuation 

XVI. THE HYPHEN 

198. Compound Words. — A hyphen is put between 
the members of a compound word. 

a. There is much room here for individual opinion, 
for authorities differ widely as to what words should be 
written separately, what with a hyphen, and what solid. 
We find both associate-professor and associate professor, 
school room and schoolroom, and even to-day and today. 
Indeed, one may say with considerable positiveness that 
there is little uniformity of usage at all. When in doubt 
the writer should consult a good unabridged dictionary, 
the pocket dictionaries usually being useless on these 
points. (Note, however, that in the dictionaries a hyphen 
inserted does not always mean a compound word. Web- 
ster's Dictionary uses a small, faint hyphen to denote syl- 
lables and a large, black hyphen to denote compounds, 
while the Standard uses the German hyphen (*) to indi- 
cate compounds.) 

b. But, when in doubt, and in lieu of a better authori- 
ty, one may often trust to pronunciation and his own ear 
how to write a word. We usually give but one primary 
stress to a word. Even so long a word as groceryman 
has but one strongly accented syllable. Therefore, if 
each of the members of a possible compound word re- 
mains distinct enough to require a definite emphasis of 
its own, the two words should be written separately : 
as, black board but blackboard, tableware but table man- 
ners, etc. 

c. The following general suggestions governing the 
hyphenation of compound words, however, may be of- 
fered : — 

199. Compound Numbers Spelt Out. — Compound 
numbers between twenty and a hundred, when spelt out, 
should be hyphenated : as, twenty-one, eighty-four, etc. 



The Hyphen 79 

200. Ordinal Numbers. — Compound ordinal num- 
bers are joined by hyphens. 

Right. — Lionello's was the hundred-and-first story. 

201. Fractional Adjectives. — A hyphen is placed 
between fractional adjectives, but not between simple 
fractions. 

Right. — He won by a three- fourths majority. 

Right. — Three fourths of the votes were cast for him. 

202. Compound Adjectives. — A hyphen is placed 
between any two or more words that are compounded 
into a modifying adjective preceding a noun: as, sea- 
shouldering, hand-made, silver-white, sky-blue, heaven- 
sent, etc. 

Exception. — When a modifying adjective or participle 
is preceded by an adverb ending in -ly, the hyphen is 
omitted : as, highly educated women, strictly honest men, 
etc. 

203. Time Indications. — A hyphen is placed be- 
tween hour and minutes in time indications that are writ- 
ten out : as, six-thirty, nine-forty, etc. 

204. Compound Nouns. — The following compound 
nouns are hyphenated : — 

a. A noun made up of two nouns whose compound- 
ing into one is the result of mere ellipsis and an inversion 
of a phrase containing those two words : as, letter-file 
(= a place where letters are filed away), oil-can, bell- 
boy, etc. 

b. A noun made up of two nouns, one of which modi- 
fies the other, and which together form a word with a 
different meaning from each : as, feather-edge, news- 
stand, labor-union, etc. 

c. A noun compounded of a present participle and a 
noun, and with a meaning different from either of the 



80 Practical English Punctuation 

two words taken separately : as, dining-room, looking- 
glass, putting-green, etc. 

d. A noun made up of a present participle and a 
preposition that does not govern a following noun: as, 
laying-on, taking-off, etc. 

e. A noun made up of a noun and an adverb: as, 
passers-by, lookers-on. 

205. Hyphenated Prefixes. — Words compounded 
with the following prefixes are usually hyphenated: 
cross-, father,- mother-, brother-, parent-, great-, foster-, 
fellow-, by-, ex-, life-, half-, quarter-, non-, lieutenant-, 
vice-, ultra-, quasi-, self-, zvorld-. 

Right. — Cross-examine, father-in-law, mother-queen, brother- 
love, parent-cells, great-grandfather , foster-child, fellow- 
man, by-product, ex-president, life-size, half-dollar, quarter- 
sawed, non-communicant, lieutenant-general, vice-admiral, 
ultra-religious, quasi-historical, self-centered^ world-power. 

206. Prefixes Written Solid. — Words compounded 
with the following prefixes are usually written solid: a-, 
after-, ante-, anti-, auto-, bi-, demi-, grand-, in-, inter-, 
intra-, mid-, mis-, off-, out-, over-, post-, re-, sub-, super-, 
tri-, un-, under-, up-, where-, with-. 

Right. — Aback, antediluvian, antifat, autobiography, biweekly, 
demigod, grandfather, insincere, international, intramem- 
branous, midnight, misconstrue, offset, outcast, overlook, 
postdate, reconstruct, submarine, supernatural, tricolor, 
unnatural, undercurrent, upbuild, wherewith, withstand. 

207. Hyphenated Suffixes. — The following suffixes 
are usually hyphenated : -dealer, -elect, -god, -general, 
-hand, -maker, -rate. 

Right. — Furniture-dealer, president-elect, sun-god, postmaster- 
general, second-hand, book-maker, first-rate. 



The Hyphen 81 

208. Suffixes Written Solid.— The following suf- 
fixes are written solid: -ever, -holder } -less, -monger, 
-self, -some, -ward, -wise. 

Right. — Whatever, stockholder, faithless, ironmonger, himself, 
gladsome, northward, likewise. 

209. Varying Suffixes. — Variation in the use of the 
following suffixes should be noted : — 

a. Compounds of -store are hyphenated when the 
prefixed word is made up of only one syllable ; otherwise 
the hyphen is omitted: as, book-store, grocery store. 

b. Compounds of -fold, -pence, and -skin with words 
of one syllable are written solid; with words of two or 
more syllables they are written as separate words : as, 
twofold, forty fold; threepence, fifteen pence; pigskin, 
alligator skin. 

c. Compounds of -like with words not ending in / 
are usually written solid ; but if the prefixed word ends in 
/, the compound is hyphenated : as, godlike, businesslike, 
girl-like. 

d. Monosyllables compounded with -book, -house, 
-mill, -room, and -work as suffixes are usually written 
solid; dissyllables compounded with these suffixes are 
generally hyphenated ; trisyllables and polysyllables pre- 
ceding them are written separately : as, handbook, pocket- 
book, reference book; poorhouse, power-house, furniture 
house; sawmill, coffee-mill, cannon-ball mill; bedroom, 
lecture-room, commercial room; handwork, metal-work, 
tessellated work. 

210. Compounds of Abnormally Associated Words. 

— A hyphen is placed between any two words ab- 
normally associated for the sake of producing a single 
sentence element : as, safety-valve, sense-perception, bas- 
relief, etc. 



82 



Practical English Punctuation 



211. General Usage concerning Compounds. — In 

general, a hyphen is placed between any two or more 
words when the insertion of the hyphen will give the 
newly compounded word a different meaning, or when 
the hyphen is necessary to make the word perform the 
function of a single element in the sentence: as, poor 
box and poor-box, drawing room and drawing-room, etc. 

212. Hyphenated Words. — The following words 
should be hyphenated : — 



bas-relief 

bay-window 

birth-rate 

blood-relation 

common-sense 

cross-examine 

cross-reference 

cross-section 

death-rate 

every-day(arf;) 

feast-day 

folk-song 

food-stuff 

foot-note 

gas-light 



good-bye 

horse-power 

letter-head 

mail-box 

man-of-war 

new-comer 

note-paper 

object-lesson 

oil-cloth 

one-horse (adj) 

page-proof 

pay-roll 

postage-stamp 

post-card 



school-boy 

school-teacher 

sea-level 

so-called (adj) 

son-in-law 

stand-by (n) 

subject-matter 

Sunday-school 

title-page 

trade-mark 

up-stairs 

well-being 

well-nigh 

wide-spread 

will-power 



post-office 

213. Words Written Solid. — The following words 
should be written solid : — 

afternoon anywhere classmate 

already (adv) awhile (adv) coeducation 

altogether baseball daybreak 

anybody birthday earthenware 

anyhow blacksmith everybody 

anyone byword everyone 

anything cannot everything 

anyway (adv) childhood everywhere 





The Hyphen 


83 


expressman 


nearby (adj) 


sixpence 


facsimile 


nevertheless 


somebody 


farewell 


newsboy 


somehow 


fireproof 


newspaper 


something 


foolscap 


nickname 


sometime 


football 


nobody 


sometimes 


foreman 


northeast 


someway (adv) 


forever 


northwest 


somewhat 


gateman 


noteworthy 


somewhere 


greenhouse 


nothing 


southeast 


groceryman 


nowadays 


southwest 


hardware 


nowhere 


spendthrift 


herein 


notwithstanding 


staircase 


hereupon 


nowise 


straightforward 


herewith 


oftentimes 


surname 


herself 


oneself 


tableware 


himself 


outburst 


taxicab 


hitherto 


outdo 


taxpayer 


hundredweight 


outgoing 


textbook 


inasmuch 


outset 


thereabouts 


inside 


outside 


thereafter 


instead 


outsider 


thereat 


itself 


outstretch 


therefor 


juryman 


playground 


therefore 


landlady 


postman 


therein 


landowner 


postmaster 


thereto 


laundryman 


postmistress 


thereupon 


lawsuit 


praiseworthy 


therewith 


lookout 


railroad 


threescore 


lumberman 


reinvest 


today 


maybe (adv) 


rewrite 


together 


meantime 


saleslady 


tomorrow 


midnight 


salesman 


tonight 


misprint 


saleswoman 


tradesman 


misspell 


semicolon 


typewriter 


moreover 


shirtwaist 


upbuild 


motorman 


sidewalk 


watermelon 


myself 


silverware 


whenever 



84 Practical English Punctuation 

whereabouts wherever withstand 

whereas whichever workshop 

wherefore whoever yourself 

whereof without zoology 

214. Words Written Separately. — Write the fol- 
lowing as separate words: — 

all ready (adj) en route no one 

all right * every time per cent 

any time ex officio postal card 

awhile (n) good morning pro tern 

by the way in order some day 

down town (adv) near by (adv) some way 

215. Omission of Part of a Compound Word. — 

When the same word occurs in the latter part of two or 
more successive, hyphenated, compound modifiers, the 
word is frequently omitted from the first modifier and 
its place indicated by a hyphen. 

Right.— The eighth- and ninth-grade boys drilled next. 

Right — He had fifty dollars in one-, five-, and ten-cent pieces. 

216. Word Division. — A hyphen is used to divide 
a word at the end of a line. 

a. Care should be taken to insert the hyphen only 
between complete syllables. But here the difficulty comes : 
one cannot always trust either the pronunciation or the 
etymology of a word for its syllabication. In such words 
as ne-ga-tion and pcr-mit there is little or no room for 
doubt; but in others, as fa-ther and moth-er, ves-tal and 
vest-nre, for-mer and form-al, one may be sure of ac- 
curacy only by consulting a reliable dictionary. In syl- 
labication in general, however, the following rules, though 
overlapping in some cases, may be observed with profit : 

b. Insert a hyphen — 

1. After a long vowel or a short unaccented vowel 
when followed by a single consonant or a group of con- 



The Hyphen 85 

sonants forming an indivisible consonant combination : 
as, la-dy, tri-fle, di-vine, justi-fy, photogra-phy. But see 
c 5, page 86. 

2. After a single consonant or an indivisible con- 
sonant combination when preceded by a short, accented 
vowel : as, lov-ing, loz-enge, bish-op, diaph-anous. 

3. Between double consonants (except plurals of 
nouns ending in double-^) and successive consonants not 
forming an indivisible consonant combination : as, rub- 
ber, cus-tom, confession, con-version. But see c p, page 
86. 

4. Between a prefix or a suffix and the root word : 
as, pre-eminent, retro-act, Jew-ish, love-ly. 

5. Before nominal -cr, -or, -ment, -ness, and -Hon: 
as, hunt-er, debt-or, adjust-ment, shy-ness, avia-tion. 

6. Before verbal -ing, and -ed when pronounced as 
a separate syllable : as, fly-ing, hunt-ed, but loved. 

7. Before adjectival -er, -est, -ble, -fid, and -ish: as, 
high-er, bright-est, edi-ble, hope-fid, brut-ish. 

8. Before adverbial -bly and -ly: as, grave-ly, staid- 
ly, immuta-bly. 

c. Caution: 

1. Do not divide a syllable of one letter from the 
rest of the word. 

Wrong. — a-ble, i-tinerant, ver-y. 

2. Do not divide a monosyllable. 

Wrong. — mob-bed, tho-ugh. 

3. Do not divide inseparable consonant combina- 
tions, such as ph in phonetic, th in think and the, sh in 
lash, gh in cough (or when silent), tch in match, gn in 
sign, or ck in track. 

4. Do not begin a line with a hyphen. When a word 
is to be divided at the end of a line, the hyphen should 
be placed there, and there only. (See 17.) 

Wrong. — Please call, pay charges, and remove property with 
-in forty-eight hours from date of this notice. 



86 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — Please call, pay charges, and remove property with- 
in forty-eight hours from date of this notice. 

5. Do not separate a consonant from a vowel that 
affects its pronunciaiton : as, nec-essity for ne-cessity, 
zvag-er for wa-ger, rag-ing for ra-ging, etc. 

6. Do not divide a diphthong or separate two suc- 
cessive vowels, one of which is silent. 

Wrong. — ana-esthetic, pe-ople, wa-iling. 

7. Do not separate a syllable that has been added to 
a word by the addition of a plural s. 

Wrong. — hors-es, palac-es, financ-es. 

8. Do not divide hyphenated words except at the 
syllable where the regular hyphen comes. 

Not Good. — pock-et-book, fool-kill-er. 

9. Do not make awkward divisions. 

Not Good. — noth-ing, crack-le, ei-ther, vision, eight-een. 

217. To Indicate Syllables. — A hyphen is used to 
indicate the separate syllables in a word : as, quo-ta-tion } 
syl-la-ble. 

218. To Mark Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes. — A 

hyphen is used to mark incomplete words, roots, pre- 
fixes, and suffixes. 

Right. — The root ret- may be noted next. 
Right. — The verbal ending in that case is -ed. 

219. To Indicate Stammered Words. — To indicate 
stammered words, the initial letter or letters of a word 
are separated from each other and from the complete 
word by hyphens. (See 139.) 

Right. — "But Ch-Ch-Charley, how did you get away?" 



Ellipses 87 

XVII. ELLIPSES 

220. In Quotations. — Ellipses, consisting of a 
series of dots, are used to indicate the omission of ma- 
terial from direct quotations, as when mutilations, illeg- 
ible words, or similar hiatuses occur in mss, or when 
material is omitted from a quotation because of its not 
being necessary to the thought that the writer wishes to 
convey. 

a. Such ellipses usually consist of four periods, or 
dots, in addition to any mark of punctuation at the end 
of the clause or phrase preceding the omitted material. 
But in poetry, when one or more complete lines are 
omitted, — and sometimes in prose, when several para- 
graphs are left out, — the omission is indicated by the in- 
sertion of a full line of periods. (See illustration under 
157.) 

b. If the material is omitted from the end of the quo- 
tation, the quotation-marks come outside the ellipses. 

Right. — "There are very, very few natural deaths : most 
people die through accident, because a part gives out. . . 
. . And they float into paradise on the fumes of a cheap 
cocktail." 

Right. — "For the most wild yet most homely narrative which 
I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad 
indeed would I be to expect it, in a case where my very 
senses reject their own evidence. Yet, mad am I not — and 
very surely do I not dream. But to-morrow I die, and to- 
day I would unburden my soul. 



"Of my own thoughts it is folly to speak. Swooning, I 
staggered to the opposite wall. For one instant the party 
on the stairs remained motionless, through extremity of 
terror and awe. In the next a dozen stout arms were toil- 
ing at the wall. It fell bodily. The corpse, already greatly 



88 Practical English Punctuation 

decayed and clotted with gore, stood erect before the eyes 
of the spectators. Upon its head, with red extended mouth 
and solitary eye of fire, sat the hideous beast whose craft 
had seduced me into murder, and whose informing voice 
had consigned me to the hangman. I had walled the mon- 
ster up within the tomb !" 
Right. — "Stay yet awhile ! speak to me once again ; 
Kiss me, so long as but a kiss may live ; 



But I am chained to Time, and cannot thence 
depart !" 
Right. — "A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of any- 
thing than he does of his dinner " 



Foot-Notes 89 

XVIII. FOOT-NOTES 

221. References. — When references, formal or in- 
formal, are made in an essay to an author, book, or maga- 
zine, the precise volume and page to which reference is 
made should be given in a foot-note at the bottom of the 
page. 

a. Such foot-notes should be separated from the 
main body of the text by heavily ruled lines and should 
be numbered consecutively throughout the essay by small 
arabic numerals placed before them ; and the reader's at- 
tention should be directed to these notes by a correspond- 
ing numeral placed in the essay at the end of the refer- 
ence or quotation and a bit above the line. This numeral 
should never be placed at the beginning of the reference 
or quotation. 

b. When frequent references are made to the same 
volume or work, instead of repeating the title, the ab- 
breviations loc. cit. (loco citato, in the place [already] 
cited) and op. cit. (opere citato, in the work cited) are 
used. This avoids repetition of the same reference. 
And when the references to the same work are successive, 
ibid, (abbreviation for ibidem) is used. 

Right. — D'Israeli, Curiosities of Literature, 61. 
Ibid., 142. 
Loc. cit., chap. 3. 

c. The following illustration is taken from the Pub- 
lications of the Modern Language Association for March, 
1912 (p. 27) : 

"To Carlyle the merit is due of making Goethe popular in 
England," says Miss Carr in an article on Goethe in his Con- 
nection with English Literature. 1 Mr. Alford points out that "the 
first beginnings of the study of Goethe in England came fifty 



1. Pub. of English Goethe Society, No. iv, p. 56. (London, IS 



90 Practical English Punctuation 

years before Carlyle," 2 and notes that "in the year 1780 s a trans- 
lation of Werther first introduced Goethe to the notice of English- 
men. This became popular and passed through several editions." 

d. When one is preparing manuscript for the printer, 
foot-notes — or, more properly, what are to become foot- 
notes later on the printed page — are put immediately 
below the reference or quotation, and are separated from 
the body of the text by heavy lines, thus : 

These were, in a sense, the Oxford scholarships * of the f our- 

1 The money was, however, only lent, security being required. 

teenth century. To each of them was attached the name of the 
benefactor, the sum given by him, and the object of the founda- 
tion 

Such an arrangement of foot-notes is a distinct aid to 
the printer. 

e. For the use of abbreviations in foot-notes, see 
226. 



2. R. G. Alford, Goethe's Earliest Critics in England. Idem., No. vii, 

p. 8 f. (London, 1893.) 

3. This should be 1779. (See above, note 1, p. 26.) 



Bibliographies 91 

XIX. BIBLIOGRAPHIES 

222. Usage. — In making citations of books, maga- 
zine articles, etc., in bibliographies, catalogues, and the 
like, the following illustrations may be used as models : 

Author's Name First. — Stevenson, R. L., A Child's 
Garden of Verses. New York: Scribner's, 1911. 

Books in Series. — Trent, W. P., William Gilmore 
Simms (" American Men of Letters Series" ). Boston 
and New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1892. 

Plays. — Shakspere, Taming of the Shrew, in "First 
Folio Shakespeare" (Charlotte Porter and Helen A. 
Clarke, editors) . New York : Crowell, 1907-13. 

Magazine Articles. — George, W. L., "Feminist Inten- 
tions," Atlantic Monthly, December, 1913. 

Unsigned Articles. — "The Suppression of Finnish 
Liberties," Independent, December 11, 1913. 

Poems — Tennyson, Alfred, "A Dream of Fair Wo- 
men," in Poetical Works (Cambridge Edition). Boston 
and New York : Houghton Mifflin, 1898. 

a. Care should be taken to give not only the names of 
the authors and their works, but the dates and places of 
publication and the names of the publishers as well. Often 
such details are necessary to those who wish to refer to 
the precise volumes and pages cited. 



92 Practical English Punctuation 

XX. ABBREVIATIONS 

223. Abbreviations to be Avoided. — One should 
avoid the use of abbreviations and contractions ; they are 
in bad taste in literary work (including letters) of any 
kind. No abbreviations should be employed except those 
that one knows to be used, not by the newspapers, but 
by writers of standard English prose. 

Wrong. — We arrived in Columbus, O., late in the p. m. and 
went immediately to the offices of the Harriman Mdse, Co., 
which were only about 2 blocks from the Ry. station. 

Right. — We arrived in Columbus, Ohio, late in the afternoon 
and went immediately to the offices of the Harriman Mer- 
chandise Company, which were only about two blocks from 
the railway station. 

224. Permissible Abbreviations. — The following 
abbreviations, however, are in good use : Mr., Mrs., 
Messrs., Dr., Rev., Hon., St., when used before proper 
names ; Jr., Esq., and the initial abbreviations A.B., Ph.D., 
M.D., M.P., S.J., U.S.N. , etc., when used after proper 
names ; and such general abbreviations as etc., viz., q.v., 
i.e., e.g., a.m., p.m. (also a. m. and p. m.), A. D., B. C. 

a. If a the or a Right precede the word Reverend, it 
is better spelled out. Otherwise Reverend may be ab- 
breviated like Mr. and Mrs. 

Not Good. — The Rev. R. H. Welter, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. 

Right. — The Reverend R. H. Welter, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. 

Right. — Rev. J. H. Tippet, Appleton, Wisconsin. 

225. Personal Titles. — Better usage now demands 
that such titles as Professor, President, Governor, Cap- 
tain, Colonel, General, etc., be spelled out, not abbrevi- 
ated. (See 227, 256 a, 258.) 



Abbreviations 93 

226. Foot-Notes and Bibliographical Matter. — In 

foot-notes, parenthetic citations, and bibliographical mat- 
ter, abbreviations are used that are not permissible in the 
body of a composition. 

a. The following abbreviations are permitted in foot- 
notes, parenthetic citations, bibliographies, etc.: art. {art- 
icle), cf., chap, (or ch.), ed. (editor or edition), etc., et. 
seq. (or seq.), ff., fig., fol., ibid., introd., I., loc. cit. (loco 
citato), n. (note), no., op. cit. (opere citato), p., q. v., sc. 
(scene), sec. (section), vol., abbreviations of weights and 
measures in the metric system, and symbols of measure- 
ments when preceded by a numeral. (See 221.) 

Right in a Foot-Note.—Ci. Mod. Lang. Pub., vol. 1, p. 94. 

Right in a Bibliography. — Brewster, Eng. Corn p. and Style. 
New York: Century Co., 1912. 

227. Business Correspondence. — In business and 
informal correspondence, where brevity is a prerequisite 
and time a necessary consideration, the following abbre- 
viations are found: &, C.O.D., f.o.b., N.B., P.S., via, vs., 
fol.; no., p., and $, w T hen followed by numerals; C, F., 
and 9^ , when preceded by numerals ; Hon., Pres., Prof., 
Sec. (see 225, however), S.S., Supt., and Treas., when 
preceding proper names ; Ave., Bros., Co., Esq., et al., 
Inc., R.R., Ry., and St., when following proper names ; the 
abbreviations for the months of the year (except March, 
April, May, June, and July) when followed by a numer- 
al indicating the day of the month ; and the abbreviations 
for the states of the Union when preceded by the name of 
a town or a city. (See 228.) 

a. But because Col. is often mistaken for Col., Miss,, 
for Missouri, etc., it is better to spell out, even in business 
letters, Alaska, California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, 
Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Utah. 

b. In business correspondence the abbreviations Co., 



94 Practical English Punctuation 

Bros., and & should be spelled out, unless the firms ad- 
dressed themselves use the abbreviations. 

Wrong.— 

787 Union Ave., 

New Orleans, La., 
Mar. 5, 1913. 
A. N. Bawn & Co., 

Rock ford, III. 
Gents : 

Yrs of recent date rec'd. In reply would say that 
wool has advanced 1 ct. a lb. within the past wk. but will 
take the matter up with our branch office in Mich, and 
report definitely to you as soon as we hear from them. 
Yrs very truly, 

O. V. Cantoun, 
Pres. 
Right in a Business Letter. — 

787 Union Ave., 
New Orleans, La., 
March 5, 1913. 
A. N. Bawn & Co., 

Rock ford, III. 
Gentlemen : 

Your letter of March 2 was received to-day. 
Tn reply we regret to say that wool has advanced one cent 
per pound within the past week. We will take the matter 
up with our branch office in Michigan, however, and report 
definitely to you as soon as we hear from them. 
Yours very truly, 

O. V. Cantoun, 

Pres. 
Right Always.— 214 Peachtree Street, 

Atlanta, Georgia, 
March 7, 1913. 

Henry W alterman and Company, 

Macon, Georgia. 
Dear Sirs: 

I regret very much that our representative was 
not able to call upon you while in Macon last week. An 



Abbreviations 95 

unexpected telegram called him to Savannah on the day 
of his arrival in Macon and he was compelled to cancel 
all his engagements. He will return to the city on Thurs- 
day of this week, however, and we hope that he may 
have the pleasure of calling upon you then. 
Yours very truly, 

H. F. Henderson, 

Secretary. 

228. Caution. — Note that many abbreviations that 
are proper when used with other expressions or in the 
address of letters are improper when used alone or in 
the body of a composition. 

Wrong. — He came this p. m. 

Right. — He came at four p. m. 

Wrong. — The meeting is to be held in Sept. in Ga. 

Right. — The meeting is to be held in September in Georgia. 

Right in Business Corespondence. — The prices made were 

f. o. b., Spartanburg, S. C. 
Right in an Essay. — The prices made were net, freight from 

Spartanburg, South Carolina, to be paid by the buyer. 



96 Practical English Punctuation 

XXI. NUMBERS 

229. Street Numbers, Dates, etc. — Cardinal num- 
bers designating street numbers, telephone numbers, auto- 
mobile numbers, dates, pages or divisions of books (chap- 
ters, paragraphs, etc.), should be written in figures, not- 
spelled out. (See also 116 a.) 

Wrong. — Our telephone number is one thousand three hundred 

ninety-seven. 
Right. — Our telephone number is 1397. 

Not Good. — I was born July the seventh, eighteen hundred 

eighty-one. 
Right.— I was born July 7, 1881. 

230. Ordinal Numbers. — Ordinal numbers are 
customarily spelled out, though ordinals designating days 
of the month may be either spelled out or expressed in 
figures. 

a. In the addresses and headings of letters it is par- 
ticular^ important that ordinals be written out, since 
such ordinals are preceded by house numbers in arabic 
and confusion may easily result. 

b. Caution. — After ordinals ending in d use d only, 
not nd or rd. 

Right. — That was about the hundredth time I had heard the 

professor's joke. 
Right. — Thanksgiving day fell on the thirtieth of November 

that year. 
Right. — 614 Forty-second Street, New York. 
Not Good. — George Eliot was born November 22nd, 1819. 
Right. — George Eliot was born November 22d, 1819. 

231. Cardinal Numbers. — In connected discourse, 
cardinal numbers that may be expressed in one or two 
words, should be spelled out. (See 232, however.) 



Numbers 97 

a. As a rule, decimals, degrees, dimensions, metric 
weights and measures, percentage, and like expressions 
are written in figures. 

Not Good. — $8,000,000 worth of stocks were sold. 
Right. — Eight million dollars worth of stocks were sold. 
Wrong. — The amount of the collection was fourteen dollars 

and seventy-eight cents. 
Right. — The amount of the collection was $14.78. 
Wrong. — The university is 18 miles from the city proper. 
Right. — The university is eighteen miles from the city proper. 

232. Large and Small Numbers in Same Sentence. 
— If in the same sentence or paragraph several num- 
bers or sums of money are mentioned, some of which 
are so long that they must be expressed in figures, all the 
numbers or sums should be written in figures. 

a. In other words, be consistent. Do not spell out 
numbers in one sentence and use figures in the next. 

Right— After I had expended $30 for board, $11.18 for books, 

and $12 for room rent, I had $45.82 left for incidental 

expenses. 

233. Sums of Money. — AYhen designating sums of 
money in connected discourse, do not write .00, do not 
write the decimal point above the line, and do not ex- 
press in figures sums of less than one dollar. 

Not Good. — His bill that month amounted to $175.00. 
Right. — His bill that month amounted to $175. 
. Wrong. — They were making a special sale on the medicine 

that day at $.98. 
Wrong. — They were making a special sale on the medicine 

that day at $0.98. 
Right. — They were making a special sale on the medicine that 

day at ninety-eight cents. 
Wrong. — The total cost was $4-15. 
Right. — The total cost was $4.15. 



98 Practical English Punctuation 

234. Caution. — Do not begin a sentence with fig- 
ures; and except in legal or commercial letters and 
documents do not repeat in parenthesized figures a num- 
ber or a sum of money that has just been spelled out. 
But in legal or commercial documents (where such repeti- 
tion is often necessary) write the parenthesized number 
or sum immediately after the expression it repeats. 

Not Good. — Enclosed please find ten ($10) dollars, for which 

send me .... 
Right. — Enclosed please find ten dollars ($10), for which send 



Letter Writing 99 

XXII. LETTER WRITING 
A. Letters in the First Person 

235. Order of the Heading. — The proper order of 
the heading of a letter is: first, street address; second, 
city and state address; third, date. 

a. The items of the heading may be written on one, 
two, or three lines. If short, they are frequently written 
on a single line. If two lines are used, the date is written 
alone on the second line. If three lines are used, the 
street address comes on the first line, the names of the 
city and of the state on the second, and the date on the 
third. Not more than three lines should be used for the 
heading. 

Right.— 15 L Street, Hiram, Ohio, March 18, 1913. 
Right. — 695 Washington Street, Atlanta, Georgia, 

March 21, 1913. 
Right. — 418 Jeeferson Avenue, 
Memphis, Tennessee, 
March 21, 1913. 

236. House Numbers. — House numbers should 
not be preceded by any word, abbreviation, or sign, and 
should be written in figures. (See 230 a.) 

Wrong. — No. 400 North Avenue, 
Ashland, Florida, 
January 16, 1913. 
Wrong. — Four Hundred North Avenue, 
Ashland, Florida, 
January 16, 1913. 
Right. — 400 North Avenue, 

Ashland, Florida, 

January 16, 1913. 

237. Omission of "Street," "Avenue/' etc.— In the 
street address the word Street, Avenue, Boulevard, Drive, 
Park, or Place should not be omitted. 



100 Practical English Punctuation 

a. In addition to being inelegant, such an omission 
may easily cause confusion in further correspondence. 

Wrong. — 224 Harrison, Portland, Oregon. 
Right. — 224 Harrison Street, Portland, Oregon. 

238. The Date. — Except in correspondence of a 
most hasty commercial nature, where elegance is not a 
requisite, the name of the mionth in the date should be 
written out in full, not abbreviated or expressed by a 
figure. Likewise, the date of the year should not have 
the first two figures omitted. 

a. All the numbers in the date should be expressed 
in arabic numerals, not written out, and the number of 
the day should not be followed by st, d } nd, rd, or th. 
(See 230 b.) 

b. The date should never be omitted in even the most 
informal note. 

c. In social correspondence of a formal nature, it is 
customary to spell out both the day of the month and the 
year : as, July the seventh, nineteen hundred fourteen. 

Permissible in a Business Letter. — 214 Main, St., 

Roswell, N. M., 
February 4, 1913. 
Right Always. — 214 Main Street, 

Roswell, New Mexico, 
February 14, 1913. 

Not Good.— March 1st, '13. 
Not Good.— March 1st, 1913. 
Right.— March 1, 1913. 

239. Punctuation of the Heading. — A comma is 
used to separate all the items in the heading except the 
nam,e and the day of the month, and a period is placed 
after the date of the year. 

a. The omission of all punctuation — except periods 
following abbreviations — from the ends of the lines of the 



Letter Writing 101 

heading is not good form except in business corre- 
spondence. 

Right. — 647 Vincennes Avenue, 

Indianapolis, Indiana, 
March 26, 1913. 

240. Place of the Inside Address. — The inside ad- 
dress should begin on a line below the last line of the 
heading and flush with the left-hand margin of the page. 

a, In social letters and business correspondence of a 
personal nature the inside address may be placed, some- 
what indented at the left side of the sheet, after the sig- 
nature on the last page. This is permissible, however, 
only in case the heading has not been deferred to the last. 
The heading and the inside address may not both be put 
at the last. 

b. In social letters the inside address is often omitted 
entirely. 

Right.— 

Mr. Allen N. Wat kin son, 
Z32 Pacific Street, 
Cleveland, Ohio. 
Dear Watkinson, 

Your letter of April 11 reached me this 
morning. I regret very much that I cannot give you any 
information concerning the Alexander house to which you 
refer; but if you will write concerning the deed to Snider 
in Los Angeles, he will probably be able to tell you some- 
thing concerning the recent transfer of ownership. . . . 
Mrs. Grose asks to be remembered to Mrs. Watkinson 
and Ethel. 

Faithfully yours, 

Henry C. Grose. 
4351 Drexel Boulevard, 
Chicago, Illinois, 
April 9, 1913. 



102 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — 

4351 Drexel Boulevard, 
Chicago, Illinois, 
April 9, 1913. 
Dear Watkinson, 

Your letter of April 11 reached me this 
morning. I regret very much that I cannot give you any 
information concerning the Alexander house to which you 
refer ; but if you will write concerning the deed to Snider 
in Los Angeles, he will probably be able to tell you some- 
thing concerning the recent transfer of ownership. . . . 
Mrs. Grose asks to be remembered to Mrs. Watkinson 
and Ethel. 

Faithfully yours, 

Henry C. Grose. 
Mr. Allen N. Watkinson, 
232 Pacific Street, 
Cleveland, Ohio. 

Right. — 

4351 Drexel Boulevard, 
Chicago, Illinois, 
April 9, 1913. 
Mr. Allen N. Watkinson, 
232 Pacific Street, 
Cleveland, Ohio. 
Dear Watkinson, 

Your letter of April 11 reached me this 
morning. I regret very much that I cannot give you any 
information concerning the Alexander house to which you 
refer; but if you will write concerning the deed to Snider 
in Los Angeles, he will probably be able to tell you some- 
thing concerning the recent transfer of ownership. . . . 
Mrs. Grose asks to be remembered to Mrs. Watkinson 
and Ethel. 

Faithfully yours, 

Henry C. Grose. 
241. Order of the Inside Address. — The proper 
order of the inside address is : the name of the person ad- 



Letter Writing 103 

dressed on the first line, the street address on the second 
line, and the city and state address on the third line. 

a. The street address may be omitted from the in- 
side address. 

Right. — Houghton Mifflin Company, 
4 Park Street, 

Boston, Massachusetts. 
Right. — Houghton Mifflin Company, 

Boston, Massachusetts. 

242. Omission of Titles in the Inside Address. — 

The titles Mr., Mrs., Miss, Messrs., Dr., etc., should not 
be omitted from the inside address. 
Not Good. — Harriet West, 

Dubuque, Iowa. 
Right. — Miss Harriet West, 

Dubuque, Iowa. 

a. Exception 1. — Messrs. is often omitted from be- 
fore the names of incorporated firms. 

Right. — G. P. Putnam's Sons, 

New York City. 

b. Exception 2. — Esq., when following a proper 
name, is a sufficient substitute for Mr. The two should 
never be affixed to the same name at the same time. 

Wrong. — Mr. J. C. Williams, Esq., 

Evanston, Illinois. 
Right. — /. C. Williams, Esq., 

Evanston, Illinois. 

c. When both the initials and a professional or an 
honorary title precede a name, none of the titles of court- 
esy may be used, though an honorary title or its abbrevia- 
tion may follow the name. 

Wrong. — Mr. Dr. A. N. Oldman, 

Cleveland, Ohio. 
Right.— Dr. A. N. Oldman, 

Cleveland, Ohio. 



104 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — Rev. Mr. Peebles. 

Utica, New York. 
Inelegant. — A. C. Adams, D.D., 

Helena, Montana. 
Right.— Rev. A. C. Adams, D.D., 

Helena, Montana. 

243. Punctuation of the Inside Address. — A 
comma is placed after the name of the person addressed, 
after the name of the street or avenue, and after the name 
of the city, and a period is placed after the name of the 
state. 

a. The omission of all punctuation — except periods 
following abbreviations — at the ends of the lines of the 
inside address is not good form except in commercial 
correspondence. 

Right. — See either of the examples under 241. 

244. Place of the Salutation. — The salutation 
should be placed on the next line below the inside ad- 
dress, flush with the left-hand margin of the page. 

a. For the punctuation of the salutation see 52, 69, 
117. 

Right. — See Right examples under 240. 

245. Proper Salutations. — The following are proper 
salutations for letters : 

Extremely Formal: Sir, Sirs, Madam (used usually 
in addressing public officials and the editors of news- 
papers and magazines). 

Formal: Dear Sir, Dear Sirs, Gentlemen, Dear 
Madam, Ladies. 

Ceremonious: My dear Sir, My dear Madam, My 
dear Mr. Brown, My dear Miss Smith. 

Personal: Dear Tom, Dear Louise, My dear Mother. 

246. Improper Salutations. — The following are 
improper salutations : Friend Tom, Dear Friend Tom, 
Dear Friend, Gents, Messrs. 



Letter Writing 105 

247. Beginning of the Body of the Letter. — The 

body of a letter should begin on the next line below the 
salutation, at a point slightly to the right of the punctua- 
tion following the salutation. 

248. Common Errors. — The following common 
errors in correspondence should be avoided : 

1. Abbreviations of the names of cities. (For a list 
of abbreviations permitted in correspondence, see 227.) 

Wrong. — Our representative will call on you when he arrives 

in Phila. next week. 
Right. — Our representative will call on you when he arrives 

in Philadelphia next week. 

2. Omission of words necessary to the meaning of 
sentences, especially personal pronouns, articles, and 
prepositions. 

Wrong. — Will expect you the early part of next week. Ad- 
dress me until then, care the Lincoln Hotel. 

Rig Jit. — I shall expect you the early part of next week. Ad- 
dress me until then in care of the Lincoln Hotel. 

3. Failure to arrange the pages of the letter in the 
order in which they are to be read. Few things are more 
annoying to a reader than to be forced to rearrange the 
pages of a letter that he is trying to read. 

4. Use of your favor, your esteemed favor, we beg 
to advise, we beg to say, we beg to acknowledge, we would 
say, we zvould state, — these and other hackneyed expres- 
sions. 

5. Hackneyed conclusions, especially Thanking you 
in advance, Appreciating your continued interest, and 
other similar uses of the present participle in closing. 

6. Writing in the margins or across what has been 
written. 

7. Unnecessary postscripts. 

8. Typewriting social letters, or writing any letters 
in pencil. 



106 Practical English Punctuation 

249. Place of the Complimentary Close. — The 
complimentary close should stand near the middle of the 
line following the last line of the body of the letter. 

a. An expression introducing the complimentary 
close — such as, I am, believe me, etc. — should stand on 
the last line of the body of the letter. 

b. For the punctuation of the complimentary close, 
see 53, 118.) 

250. Proper Complimentary Closes. — The follow- 
ing are proper complimentary closes — 

In Business Letters: Yours very truly, Very truly 
yours, Yours truly, etc. 

In Personal Letters: Yours very truly, Sincerely 
yours, Yours sincerely, Faithfully yours, Fraternally 
yours, etc. 

251. Improper Complimentary Closes. — The fol- 
lowing are improper complimentary closes : And oblige, 
Yrs for Yours, Resp'y for Respectfully, Yours etc. 

252. The Signature. — The signature should follow 
on the next line after the complimentary close, somewhat 
toward the right-hand side of the page. 

a. If a person in an official position signs his name to 
a letter that he has written for the firm in which he holds 
office, his name should be followed by that of his official 
position immediately beneath. If, however, he signs the 
name of the company, he should either write his initials 
beneath, or else, in the case of dictated letters, have his 
initials and those of the stenographer to whom the letter 
was dictated, written together at the left-hand margin of 
the page. 

Right. — Yours very truly, 

L. M. Alexander, 

President. 



Letter Writing 107 

Right. — Yours very truly, 

The Macmillan Company. 

A. H. N. 

Right. — Yours very truly, 

Longmans, Green, and Company, 
obc/w 

b. A woman should not use her initials in any of her 
correspondence. In business correspondence an unmar- 
ried woman should sign her full name, which she should 
precede with the title Miss in parentheses. A married 
woman should sign her full name, then in parentheses 
beneath write her married title. A widow or a divorced 
woman (provided the latter retain her husband's name) 
should write her Christian name and surname before her 
husband's surname, then in parentheses beneath write the 
same thing with the title Mrs. prefixed. In social corre- 
spondence the prefixes Miss and Mrs. are always omitted. 

Right for an Unmarried Woman in Business Correspondence. — 
Yours very truly, 

(Miss) Eleanor McKinley. 

Right for a Married Woman in Business Correspondence. — 
Yours very truly, 

Helen Mayo Way man. 
(Mrs. Charles B. Wayman.) 

Right for a Widow in Business Correspondence. — 
Yours very truly, 

Anita Harrison Smith. 
(Mrs. Anita Harrison Smith.) 
Right for Any Woman in Social Correspondence. — 
Sincerely, 

Mary Belle Loftis. 

253. The Envelop. — The envelop should be of the 
same stock as the letter-paper. If the letter is written on 
paper arranged in four-page sheets, the length of the en- 
velop should be from a fourth- to a half-inch greater than 



108 Practical English Punctuation 

the width of the letter-paper, so that the letter when 
folded once or twice parallel with the lines of writing on 
the first page, will fit easily into the envelop. If the letter 
is written on flat sheets of about 8 T / 2 x 11 inches in size, 
the length of the envelop should be approximately a 
fourth- or a half-inch greater than half the length of the 
letter-paper, so that the letter when folded once parallel 
with the lines of writing, then twice (into thirds) per- 
pendicular to the lines, will fit easily into the envelop. 

254. Order of the Outside Address. — The proper 
order of the outside address is : the name of the addressee 
on the first line, the street address on the next line be- 
low, the name of the city on the third line, and the 
name of the state on the fourth line. 

Right. — Mr. Harry A. Meyer 

214 Bell Building 

Cincinnati 

Ohio 

a. Present usage permits the items of the outside 
address to begin directly under each other at the left. 

Right.— Mr. Harry A. Meyer 
214 Bell Building 
Cincinnati 
Ohio 

b. Because a single letter in the post-office is often 
accidentally included in the wrong batch of mail and car- 
ried entirely away from its intended destination, it is best 
when addressing a letter to a person within the same city, 
always to write plainly the name of the city, and not 
merely "City." 

Not Good. — Marshall Field and Company 

City 
Right. — Marshall Field and Company 

Chicago 



Letter Writing 109 

c. Any additional instructions or directions — such as 
"Private," "Please Forward/' etc. — should be written 
in the left-hand corner. 

255. Punctuation of the Outside Address. — Except 
after abbreviations, all punctuation marks may be omitted 
at the end of the lines of the outside address. If punctua- 
tion marks are used, however, a period should be placed 
after the name of the state on the last line and commas at 
the end of the other lines. Present usage favors the omis 
sion of the punctuation marks. 

Right. — A. N. Marquis and Company 

324-326 Dearborn Street 

Chicago 
Right. — A. N. Marquis and Company, 

324-326 Dearborn Street, 

Chicago. 

256. Abbreviations in the Outside Address. — Ex- 
cept such abbreviations as Mr., Mrs., Dr., Rev., Esq., 
U.S.A., B.C., E.C. (East Center), and such initial ab- 
breviations as D.D., etc., no abbreviations should be used 
in the outside address. 

a. Exception. — In letters of a necessarily hurried 
business nature, such abbreviations as Prof., Hon., Pres., 
St., the abbreviations for tfre names of the states, etc., are 
still commonly found. The employment of such abbre- 
viations is not considered elegant usage, however. (See 
223, 225.) 

Not Good. — Gov. Edward F. Dunne 

Springfield 

III. 
Right. — Governor Edward F. Dunne 

Springfield 

Illinois 



110 Practical English Punctuation 

B. Letters in the Third Person 

257. Form of Notes in the Third Person. — In 
formal notes in the third person there should be no head- 
ing, no inside address, no salutation, no complimentary 
close, and no signature. 

a. At the end of the note, on the left-hand side of 
the page, the street address and date should be given. 
(See 238 c.) 

Wrong. — 

496 West Street, 
Memphis, Tennessee. 
March 21, 1913. 
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Morton Canlon accept with 
pleasure the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Walker Williams 
to dinner on March the twenty-seventh. 

Sincerely, 
Virginia Freeman Canlon. 
Right — 

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Morton Canlon accept with 
pleasure the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Walker Williams 
to dinner on March the twenty-seventh. 
496 West Street, 

March the twenty-first. 

258. Abbreviations.— Except Mr., Mrs., Dr., Rev., 
and Messrs., no abbreviations of any kind are permissible 
in notes in the third person. 

a. Even numbers, except those of house addresses at 
the close, should be spelled out. 

Wrong. — 

Pres. and Mrs. Wallace Longstreet request the 
pleasure of Gov. Monroe's company at dinner on Thurs- 
day, Apr. 3, at six o'clock. 
598 Central Ave., 
March the 26th. 



Letter Writing 111 

Right. -r 

President and Mrs. Wallace Longstreet request the 
pleasure of Governor Monroe's company at dinner on 
Thursday, April the third, at six o'clock. 
598 Central Avenue, 
March the twenty-sixth. 

259. Pronouns of the First and Second Person 
Wrong. — The pronouns /, we, and you are tabooed 
in formal notes in the third person. The note must be 
kept consistently in the third person. 

JHrong. — 

Miss Helen King regrets that illness in the family 
prevents her from accepting your invitation to dinner on 
April the tenth. 
1682 Oak Boulevard, 
April the fourth. 
Right. — 

Miss Helen King regrets that illness in the family 
prevents her from accepting the invitation of Mrs. Mary 
Elizabeth Hinderman for dinner on April the tenth. 
1682 Oak Boulevard, 
April the fourth. 

260. Future Tense Wrong in Notes of Acceptance 
and Regret. — In notes of acceptance and regret the 
present tense, not the future, should be used. The accept- 
ance, or the inability to accept, is a matter of the present, 
not of the future. 

Wirong. — 

Mr. Herbert Osborne will be pleased to accept 
the invitation of Miss Annie Elizabeth Cady for Monday 
evening, April the ninth. 
1818 Maple Avenue, 
April the fourth. 



112 Practical English Punctuation 

Right. — 

Mr. Herbert Osborne is pleased to accept the invi- 
tation of Miss Annie Elizabeth Cady for Monday evening, 
April the ninth. 

1818 Maple Avenue, 
April the fourth. 

261. The Paper. — The paper should be good un- 
ruled note-paper of neutral tint or color arranged in four- 
page sheets. The letter should be written with the fold 
of the paper to the left, so that the written lines shall be 
perpendicular to the fold. 

262. The Envelop. — The envelop should be of the 
same stock as the note-paper, and of such a size that it 
will contain the four-page sheet when folded once across 
the middle, parallel with the lines of writing on the first 
page. 



Marks Used in Correcting Themes 113 

MARKS USED IN CORRECTING THEMES 



amb 


= ambiguous. 


and 


= a bad "and" sentence. 


ant 


= antecedent not clear. 


cap 


= capitalize. 


cl 


= not clear. 


cts 


= construction faulty. 


coh 


= coherence not good. 


con 


= connective (or connection) not good. 


Consull 


; = bring theme to the instructor for consultation 


% 


= delete; omit. 


D 


= see the dictionary. 


E 


= error (not specified). 


FW 


= "fine writing." 


Gr 


= bad grammar. 


K 


= awkward. 


lc 


= change capital to small letter. 


P 


= punctuation bad. 


Pt 


= point of view shifted. 


Rep 


= same word or sound repeated too much. 


sent 


= wrong form of sentence. 


SI 


= slang. 


Sp 


= bad spelling. 


su 


= sentence lacks unity. 


T 


= wrong tense. 


tr 


= transpose. 


W 


= wrong usage. 


word 


= word improperly used. 


ffCoh 


= coherence between paragraphs not good. 


ffU 


= paragraph lacks unity. 


If 


= paragraph needed ; make a new paragraph. 


Nofl 


= no paragraph needed. 


_j 


= indent. 




= join the words together. 


# 


= separate into two words. 





= hyphen needed, 



114 Practical English Punctuation 



xo 

LJl Time Symbolism. J — In both of the preceding conventions (as noted in 

^% ^^^^^ „ X 

V last months Paeifie ), where a distance of a few feet is used to repre- St 

.$+ A — «*.* 



/'/*" 



if ~ 5e nt as manv mil es an d wne re one person may symbolize a*Titmi£^d or u Tf 

/rfuiX- ^thpuaand, the usage would seem to ffc have been due, partly at least, ~"^»} 

~U1^, to the necessary limitations of space(r^c/the meagre Corpus Christi stage. \ J 

y\\ but^hi the next convention, time symbolisni the usage can be attributed / SXi— 

CL- only toTh^ lack of realization on the part of the -of. crudity and incon- OwLj s$-*-*- c ^ r El 

y gruity to represent the creation of Adam a/d Eve, the expulsion from ^_^ 

I 1 the garden of Eden, and Cain and Abel | at tne ( age of "-jmr years," all c*aJ*^J> 

ON , ' I Z5~ 

within the compass of one continuous scene. To us of to-dav the cus- **— ■ " 

^ — ^ u 

^A torn Vwould.seem • morej-easonable if there were some l5reak in the JL- t. 

| | scenes to indicate the passage of time; b ul there is none/Tin the same j£L 

& I way it is difficult for us- of today to conceive of the - Chester dramatists. > ay * n/VA - V 

daring in representing the forty days in the wilde£_ness by a single con- v * 

^fi tinuous scene of perhaps ten/ninutes length.^ 

-J <97*V- ^7— * I v' r i xl 

/tsdjj^ Mhe same crudity,jj(pwever, is to be found in the plays of allZthe cycles. A, v- ' 
yjfc*-^- In the Wakefield 4^oah and +be» A-r-k? for instance, a space of "thre hun- 

{_ j dereth dayes and fyfty. is supposed to elapse within the time taken \/ 

to quote forty-five lines, and in the corresponding is even more carefully ( » / 



//'/- 



presented. Here Noah says. 




Specimen Corrected Proof Sheet 



Explanation of Proof Corrections 115 



EXPLANATION OF PROOF CORRECTIONS 

1. Put in CAPITALS. 

2. Put in SMALL CAPITALS. 

3. Put in italics. 

4. Not italics ; roman type. 

5. Put in black face type. 

6. Lower case; small letter. 

7. Delete ; omit. 

8. Restore the words crossed out. 

9. Substitute for the letter stricken out. 

10. Several lines omitted ; see copy. 

11. Insert a period. 

12. Insert a comma. 

13. Insert an apostrophe. 

14. Insert a colon. 

15. Insert a semicolon. 

16. Insert quotation-marks. 

17. Insert a hyphen. 

18. Imperfect letter. 

19. Letter inverted ; turnover. 
.20. Indent. 

21. Make a new paragraph. 

22. No paragraph. 

23. Put in space. 

24. Close up ; no space needed. 

25. Smaller space. 

26. Badly spaced ; space more evenly. 

27. Space shows between the words ; shove down. 

28. Wrong font. 

29. Transpose. 

30. Carry to the left. 

31. Carry to the right. 

32. Elevate. 

33. Lower. 

34. Straighten crooked line. 

35. Query: Is the proof correct? 



Exercises 117 

EXERCISES 1 

1. Read paragraphs 90 and 91, and correct the 
punctuation of any of the following sentences that 
need correction, giving reasons for any changes that 
you make : 

(1) Sometimes she gave chafing-dish parties 
whereat she served real grape juice and permitted the 
boys to play cards. (2) The most important ladies 
are Mrs. Henry Teegs and Mrs. John Homer Benson 
who pay four dollars a week for their hired girls when 
the regular price is only three. (3) Henry was so 
pleased, that he burst into laughter when he came back 
home and learned of the parties that had been planned 
in his honor. (5) The museum has the nucleus of a 
collection of American curios which is being increased 
by other donations. (5) In the letter should be en- 
closed a check for two dollars without which no seat 
will be reserved. (6) They started west which was 
the short way home but Robert took hold of his 
friend's arm and objected so strenuously that they 
finally compromised by returning down College Ave- 
nue. (7) They are all loafers there as men always 
are in such towns. (8) Mary and her father who had 
come to make their home with his sister on the Heights 
were reported to have money which had been invested 
in Western lands. (9) The next time the Reids came 
our way they stopped long enough to tell us that they 
thought that the people who laughed at such an ar- 
rangement were lacking in a proper sense of humor. 
(10) Some people in the town thought that if a young 
lady had a gentleman friend call on her more than 
twice a week they might justly assume a courtship. 

2. Read 54, 77, 120, and 182, and draw up a set 

1 Bracketed numbers refer to paragraph divisions in the text. 



118 Practical English Punctuation 

of resolutions expressing regret for the resignation of 
a member of your faculty. 

3. Give reasons for the capital letters, colons, 
semicolons, commas, quotation-marks, apostrophes, 
dashes, and the exclamation-point in the following quo- 
tations : 

"When Shakespeare is charged with debts to his 
authors, Landor replies : 'Yet he was more original 
than his originals. He breathed upon dead bodies and 
brought them into life/' — Emerson. [66, 91, 138, 155, 
163, 166] 

"You've got to save your own souls first, and then 
the souls of your neighbors if they will let you; and 
for that reason you must cultivate, not a spirit of criti- 
cism,, but the talents that attract people to the hearing 
of the Word."— George MacDonald.' [32, 73, 97, 114, 
195] 

"At that awful hour of the Passion, when the Sav- 
iour of the world felt deserted in His agony, when 

'The sympathizing sun his light withdrew, 

And wonder'd how the stars their dying Lord 
could view,' 
when earth, shaking with horror, rung the passing bell 
for Deity, and universal nature groaned, then from the 
loftiest tree to the lowliest flower, all felt a sudden 
thrill, and trembling, bowed their heads, all save the 
proud and obdurate aspen, which said, 'Why should we 
weep and tremble? We trees, and plants, and flowers 
are pure and never sinned!' Ere it ceased to speak, an 
involuntary trembling seized its every leaf, and the 
word went forth that it should never rest, but tremble 
on until the day of judgment/' — Anon. [31, 44, 80, 82, 
85, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 102, 109 a, 114, 123, 128, 155, 156, 
163, 181] 

4. Write a letter to your dean, or adviser, asking 



Exercises 119 

to be excused from physical culture, or drill, and giv- 
ing three valid reasons for your request. [235-56] 

5. Explain the commas, semicolons, dashes, ellip- 
ses, hyphens, and the colon in the following passages : 

"On this courageous Monday, therefore, — whatso- 
ever he was to do during the week he always decided 
on Mondays, — after months of irresolution, he finally 
determined to make a second dash for slavery. But he 
meant to be canny; this time he would choose a woman 
who, if she ruled him, would not misrule him ; what he 
could stand was a sovereign, not a despot, and he be- 
lieved that he had found this exceptionally gifted and 
exceptionally moderated being: It was Miss Anna 
Hardage 1 ."— Allen, Mettle of the Pasture, 406. [65, 
73, 80, 82, 94, 97, 98, 130] 

"As she strolled around the garden under the 
cloudy flush of the evening sky, dressed in white, a 
shawl of white lace over one arm, a rose on her breast, 
she had the exquisiteness of a long past, during which 
women have been chosen in marriage for health and 

beauty and children and the power to charm 

The precision of the eyebrow, the chiseled perfection 
of the nostril, the loveliness of the short red lip ; the 
well-arched feet, small, but sure of themselves; the 
eyes that were kind and truthful and thoughtful; the 
sheen of her hair, the fineness of her skin, her nobly 
cast figure ; — all these were evidences of descent from 
a people that had reached in her the purity, without 
having lost the vigor, of one of its highest types 1 ." — 
Ibid., 8. [76, 83, 90, 91, 93, 97, 99, 136, 202, 220] 

6. Read 77 and 182, and draw up a petition to the 
faculty, asking for from Friday to Monday after Thanks- 
giving for a holiday, and giving five reasons for your 
request. 

7. Explain the use of the commas, capital letters, 
and the semicolon in the following: 

1 Printed by permission of The Macmillan Company. 



120 Practical English Punctuation 

"Rather more than thirty years ago the Doctor had 
arrived, one summer day, and opened all the doors and 
windows of the neglected old house, which he had 
bought from scattered heirs. He was a quiet man, the 
Doctor, in middle life then or nearly so ; and he sank 
almost without remark into the world of Albany, where 
they raise hay and potatoes and still cut good white 
pine off the hills 2 ." — Herrick, Master of the Inn, 3-4. 
[33 c, 73, 90, 94, 95] 

7. Explain the use of the commas, capital letters, 
and the semicolon in the following : 

"He had taken to the sea and seen fair shores, had 
Jethro; and lolled on snowy beaches with purple, spark- 
ling waters in the offing, radiant blue heavens above, 
and distant fringes of silent groves drowsing in the 
undulate, tropic sunlight. O wonderful, wonderful! 
And — glory beyond compare ! — he had trekked through 
jungles and wildernesses, heard the wild scream of 
African panthers, dared the man-eating lion in his 
lair, and killed prodigious elephants for their ivory. 
For witness were the manikin idol on his watch-chain 
and the wonderful gun with the hair trigger and the 
silver ramrod, — both of which became treasures that 
are in my possession still, and bring back dim memo- 
ries of boyish ambitions, joyous ambitions, to sail be- 
yond the sunrise and slay huge lions, tigers, elephants, 

and cobras in mortal combat " [76, 83, 84, 

85, 94, 110, 114, 126, 130, 132, 198, 202, 220] 

9. Explain the use of the commas, brackets, apos- 
trophes, colon, and italics in the following : 

"The sense for human superiority ought, then, to 
be considered our [the college man's] line, as boring 
subways is the engineer's line and the surgeon's is 
appendicitis. Our colleges ought to have lit up in us 



2 Printed by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons, 



Exercises 121 

a lasting relish for the better kind of man, a loss of ap- 
petite for mediocrities, and a disgust for cheapjacks. 
We ought to smell, as it were, the difference of quality 
in men and their proposals when we enter the world of 
affairs about us. Expertness in this might well atone 
for some of our awkwardness at accounts, for some of 
our ignorance of dynamos. The best claim we can 
make for the higher education, the best single phrase 
in which we can tell what it ought to do for us, is 
then, exactly what I said : it should enable us to knozv 
a good man when we see him?" James, W., "Social 
Value of the College-bred/' in McClure's Magazine, xxx, 
420. [65, 83, 85, 91, 94, 98 a, 151, 181, 189] 

10. Write a correctly w r orded and punctuated let- 
ter to the head of a business house in your home town, 
asking for employment during your summer vacation. 
[235-56] 

11. Explain the use of the commas and hyphens 
in the following : 

"Yesterday I was skating on a patch of ice in the 
park, under a poverty-stricken sky flying a pitiful rag 
of sunset. Some little muckers were guying a slim, 
raw-boned Irish girl of fifteen, who circled and darted 
under their banter with complete unconcern. She was 
in the fledgling stage, all legs and arms, tall and ador- 
ably awkward, with a huge hat full of rusty feathers, 
thin skirts tucked up above spindling ankles, and a gay 
aplomb and swing in the body that was ravishing. 
We caught hands in midflight, and skated for an hour, al- 
most alone and quite silent, while the rag of sunset rotted 
to pieces. 4 " — Moody, W. V., "Letters," in Atlantic 
Monthly, cxii, 172-3. [83, 85, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 114, 
202] 

3 Printed by permission -of the S. S. McClure Company. 

* Printed by permission of The Atlantic Monthly Company. 



122 Practical English Punctuation 

12. Write a formal note in the third person, in- 
viting an acquaintance to a reception in your home. 
[258-62] 

13. Read paragraphs 73, 80, 90, and 91, and punctu- 
ate the following sentences properly : 

(1) Go where they will those boys always manage 
to get into trouble but when they come back there is 
never a whisper of anything but a good time. (2) 
Here new houses go up and there new stores are built 
but they rise slowly and everybody in town goes 
through them and examines them carefully so that 
they are well known to all of us by the time they are 
finished. (3) What you say is all true nevertheless 
I do not believe the plan will work. (4) She was the 
prettiest girl in town as the boys all admitted for when 
the night of the big ball came which was New Year's 
eve the fellows formed a waiting line about her chair 
to get a chance to write their names on her card. (5) 
She rose at the close of the meeting to give her testi- 
mony but her voice broke before she had finished and 
she sat down looking as if she thought she had dis- 
graced the cause. (6) The furnace was in the base- 
ment hence I had to go all the way back down-stairs. 
(7) His new friends whom he asked over Sundays 
to dinner at his house had ready acceptances which 
seemed heartily given too and their wives who had not 
deigned to speak to him in the old days were careful 
now to bow to him even from across the street. (8) 
They had moved away when we came back from the 
West and if they ever knew our part in the transaction 
we never heard of it. (9) Julia used to stop by for 
second-hand clothes for the poor children and it was 
her delight to sit down and take out her pickax as she 
called it and pick the Smiths to pieces. (10) It took 
us thirty minutes to change the tire accordingly we 
were too late to be of much help. 



Exercises 123 

14. Correct the following sentences according to 
the rules indicated by the bracketed figures. 

(1) Counting nibbling a woman eats about as 
much as a man. [106] 

(2) The discovery "1851" of this lost work— 
Against all the Heresies — puts us in possession of much 
new information. [29, 95, 144, 171, 178] 

(3) William was the twenty one year old son of 
a Yeggman who had been compelled to flee from New 
York to Texas three months before. [26, 199, 202] 

(4) When they finally found him he was trying 
to measure with his eye the exact number of miles 
that Jupiter was distant from the Earth and the Moon. 
[43,91] 

(5) Dame nature that morning was resplendent 
in all her brightest garments of green. [45] 

(6) But the idea always held before the actor is 
that of work — liard work — continuous work. [110] 

(7) Having been approved by Pres. Jackson this 
bill became effective the following Summer. [26, 93, 
225] 

(8) $8,000,000.00 was the amount the Company 
invested in western lands and they say now that they 
would be glad to get $5000000.00 for their holdings. 
[35, 57, 80, 116, 231, 233, 234] 

(9) The introduction and the conclusion of Mr. 
Hubbard's editorial are worthy of comment. There 
are only two paragraphs, let me quote them to you. 

There is a new religion. It has come without blare of 
brass, without fanfare of words, without shouting, without argu- 
ment, agitation, or violence. This new religion is slowly and 
surely conquering the world. It is being preached from every 
pulpit in Christendom, and is being advocated by all rabbis, 
priests, preachers, and teachers. It is so reasonable, so gentle, 
so simple, so obvious, that it is being accepted without opposition 
— aye, without the realization that it exists. 

It is the Religion of Common Sense. Its tenets are in- 
dustry, economy, efficiency, expediency, reciprocity, appreciation, 



124 Practical English Punctuation 

good cheer, mutuality, cooperation, — all illumined by love. [66, 
73, 167 ex., 220.] 

(10) The sort of book that I prefer is one on which 
I can feel that I have spent my time profitably. One 
that presents an uplifting thought so vividly that it 
gives me food for thought day after day. [24 c, 132] 

(11) Perhaps you have heard me quote before 
that, "No joy is complete unless one may give a part of 
it to another". [25 a, 109 a, 161, 166] 

(12) Macaroni of course was the term applied at 
that time to the London dude. [98, 174] 

(13) Soon after understanding failed and he died 
within the hour. [80, 115] 

(14) The golf course extended in the direction of 
but not down to the lake. [99] 

(15) Maine, Mass., Conn, and New York produced 
6496000 of the 6500000 gallons reported in 1849 of 
which Mass. contributed 3786000 gallons or nearly 
60% of the whole. [85, 90, 95, 116, 223, 232] 

(16) The fact that there is an annually increasing 
deficit in the U. S. treasury and that some scheme and 
plan to raise this necessary revenue must be devised 
is already too well-known to need further comment. 
[113, 198 b, 223] 

(17) In regard to the student of Rhetoric I feel 
like making the same statement, he must have a thor- 
ough knowledge of the rudiments of the subject before 
he can create for himself an individual interest in it. 
[57, 65] 

(18) He cared not, he said, what caste, creed or 
color, slavery might assume, he was for it's total it's 
instant abolition. [73, 83, 85, 122, 194] 

(19) He read us fiction and history — Biblical and 
profane writings — English and foreign works — and in 
fact almost everything that we could think to ask for. 
[32 a, 83, 94] 



Exercises 125 

(20) After the ad copy has left the advertising 
man, it is placed in the hands of the advertising man- 
ager. We are now dealing with metropolitan news- 
papers, not with country fly leaves. His business is 
to secure a position in the edition and to see that all 
the copy, mats, cuts etc. are present. [59, 58 b, 85 b } 144, 
145, 172, 175] 

(21) Because of her centuries of lack of training 
in facing the world, because there is some one made in 
her stead to take care of the coarser affairs of life 
and because her place is to care for the finer things 
and to be a helpmeet for man, on the whole because 
of her general inability woman should not be allowed 
to vote. [76, 82, 85, 98, 136] 

(22) It was in the fall of 94 that Miss Harrison 
while on her way to the Public Library first met Han- 
nerty. [42, 94, 195] 

(23) There is no truer proverb than the one which 
tells us that, "A watched pot never boils, and yet a 
watched pot will boil if one waits long enough. [25 a, 
73, 109 a, 168 a] 

(24) By the time 12-30 came I had heard enough 
of Luke 11-17 and every other text in the whole 
"bible." [32, 70, 91, 171] 

(25) Alas that they should fail to realize his con- 
dition. [108, 126] 

(26) When Homer lived — 850 ? B. C. — such cus- 
toms were known and accepted as a matter of course. 
[91, 144, 145, 150, 153] 

(27) Something, perhaps a sense of loyalty, the 
right kind of loyalty, too, to William, made him hold 
his tongue. [130 a, 131] 

(28) During the period of the civil war, (1861 to 
1865) it was probably higher than it has ever been 
before or since. [37, 82, 141, 145] 

(29) When school opened she asked : Can any of 
you tell me the author of the quotation, A primrose 
by the river's brim a yellow primrose was to him, and 



126 Practical English Punctuation 

it was nothing more? [25, 91, 155, 156, 158, 163, 1661 

(30) No sir, I can go this afternoon, however and 
be back easily in time for work tomorrow morning. 
[78, 98, 100, 155] 

(31) Til be with you when the flowers bloom in 
Spring, she quoted with a touch of affectation. [26, 155, 
166] 

(32) The roll began with Anderson — C. G. and 
ended with Wiley— C. T. [105] 

(33) As inquirers we have two methods open to 
us; one is to choose from among all the views sug- 
gested by the various sects, the other is to divest our 
minds of all prejudice and strike out for ourselves. 
[65, 74, 95] 

(34) "I, I, I didnt get in, precisely at ten" I stam- 
mered. [139, 165, 195] 

(35) In this business he spent thirty three years 
of his life until in fact he was called to be the governor 
of his State. [28, 94, 133, 199] 

(36) He is one of those singularly fortunate men, 
who are permitted not only to perform noble actions 
but to leave a worthy record of their history. [89 a, 
90, 97] 

(37) Yes he will probably be successful as the 
world views success but he will never be a great man. 
[80, 94, 98] 

(38) Immediately after breakfast Helen in com- 
pany with some of the boys from town went to the 
water melon patch to see if the trap had worked. [82, 
94, 213] 

(39) Louis says he is really ill but it is their 
opinion that he will get well as soon as he stays at 
Mrs. Jones' house about a day. [80, 189] 

(40) Unless something unforeseen happens you 
may expect me to take a trip through Yellowstone 
park with you before the Summer is over. [26, 30, 91] 



Exercises 127 

(41) My maxim, I replied when my time came, is 
a good old one; it is; "There is no man suddenly either 
excellently good or extremely evil." [109, 155, 163, 
165, 166] 

(42) "When duty calls, we must obey/' Anon. 
[138] 

(43) Count Henri Von Milo, L.L.D. was among 
the invited guests. [49, 59, 104] 

(44) Barnes and Jenkins How to Study Nature 
was the book that I studied during my Freshman year. 
[28 b, 171, 178, 193] 

(45) At that instant, simultaneously with the ex- 
plosion of my gun he relaxed his whole body on the 
boulder and within ten steps of his cave his head fell 
lifelessly back. [80, 94] 

(46) Their friendship she claimed when they asked 
her about him, was purely Platonic. [26, 94] 

(47) Oh! Heavens, he exclaimed, what are you 
trying to do. [28, 48, 108, 123, 126, 155, 165, 166] 

(48) Our expenses were $3.18 for gasoline, ten 
dollars for board, $1.25 for tips, and -exactly $21.00 for 
repairs. [232, 233] 

(49) On the afternoon of labor day papa told my 
sister and me to get ready for an automobile trip, as 
he was going down past the old Methodist Church on 
the Waverley turnpike. [28, 30 b, 36] 

(50) My Father has asked me to inquire whether 
you can go with the party next week to Manitowoc? 
[28, 123 6] 

(51) Mr. Mackenzie's The Little World which we 
have already referred to, is being widely read all over 
the west. [29, 35, 90, 171, 178] 

(52) In poetry the rude man requires only to see 
something going on, the man of more refinement 
wishes to feel, the truly refined man must be made to 
reflect. [73] 



128 Practical English Punctuation 

(53) We were particularly anxious to win for two 
reasons, first, because that college had always been 
a particular rival of ours, and second because the 
winning of this game would mean the state champion- 
ship. [67, 74, 89, 98] 

(54) I can truthfully say that I do not regard him 
as a man for the place, but the man. [181] 

(55) That the father of us all would protect him 
in his wanderings and would finally bring him safely 
home she never doubted. [31, 82] 

(56) He had grown tired of studying and reading 
when a happy thought came to him, why not go hunt- 
ing? [46,72,91] 

(57) He pronounced potato, tater, and asparagus, 
sparrer grass. [175, 181] 

(58) The ancients, Jews and Heathens believed 
that the spirits of deceased persons sometimes made 
themselves visible on earth assuming bodily forms 
though of an aerial substance. [57, 89, 93, 95] 

(59) In English and German speaking countries 
and occasionally in France this is to be noted. [94, 
202, 215] 

(60) "The lips of the priest (he quoted) shall keep 
knowledge, and they (the people) shall seek the law 
at his mouth, because he is the angel (or messenger) 
of the Lord of hosts." [151, 165] 

(61) Henry was chief of the Oneidas, Ben of the 
Yemassees, Harry of the Delawares, and Ellen was 
going to be Matiwan. [73, 111] 

(62) The fact is he is somewhat of a savant, a man 
of taste and a recognized writer. [85, 98, 180] 

(63) Hearn's accounts of his childhood and youth 
are not trustworthy but we may believe him when he 
says, that he was wilful beyond all reason. [80, 115 a] 

(64) If your girl is good looking tell her so, if 
she is not talk about the weather. [73, 91] 



Exercises 129 

(65) No matter how things may twist themselves 
now Woodrow Wilson, President of Princeton Uni- 
versity will be the next governor of New Jersey. [30, 
33 b, 91, 95] 

(66) During the revolution and until the civil war 
the custom was kept up but it has practically fallen 
into disuse now. [37, 80] 

(67) If the number of A.B.s given in 1912 and in 
1913 be taken into account it will be found that the 
proportion to the whole body of graduates is relativelv 
small. [91, 196] 

(68) It is the purpose of the "men and religion 
forward movement" to make Smith, and Brown, and 
Jones believe that church is a good thing and that 
church services are worth attending. [39, 86] 

(69) Most people see in the resolution a thrust 
made by the senate at the president for his action in 
vetoing their tariff measure. [28, 40] 

(70) The second Congress of Mine Workers met 
in the Hillman building July 8, 1912 and remained in 
session during the week. [41, 42, 101] 

(71) I have read the following books in the order 
named; Goldsmiths Vicar of Wakefield; Elliots Silas 
Marner and Blackmores Lorna Doone. [13, 67, 85, 
88, 171, 178, 189] 

(72) We had two reasons for remaining, namely 
to see if anybody had been hurt and to find out if 
possible who the lawbreaker was. [68, 94, 96] 

(73) If you had looked in Pitkin's "Short Story 
Writing" pages 121 and 122, you would have found the 
stories referred to. [103, 141, 171, 178 a] 

(74) She ought to have known that a dark, blue 
hat would not match a bright, red dress. [83, 84] 

(75) Paper hats and napkins, tin horns, artificial 
flowers, confetti, and even crockery, were thrown pell- 
mell around the room. [87] 



130 Practical English Punctuation 

15. Punctuate the following so that it shall make 
complete sense : 

Who Sir. You Sir. No Sir. Not I Sir. Who 
then Sir. You Sir. [57, 73, 100, 123, 155, 162] 

16. Explain the capital letters, commas, dashes, 
hyphens, exclamation-point, and ellipses in the fol- 
lowing: 

"There were the Hunts — Nellie, and the lieutenant 
of the Lexington Rifles, Richard Hunt, a dauntless- 
looking daredevil with the ready tongue of a coffee- 
house wit and the grace of a cavalier. . . . . And 
there were the neighbors roundabout — the Talbotts, 
Quisenberrys, Clays, Prestons, Morgans — surely no 

less than forty strong, and all for dinner 

Before the General was the saddle of venison that was 
to follow, drenched in a bottle of ancient Madeira, and 
flanked by flakes of red-currant jelly. Before the 
Major rested broiled wild ducks, on which he could 
show his carving skill — on game as well as men. A 
great turkey supplanted the venison, and last to come, 
and before Richard Hunt, lieutenant of the Rifles, was 
a Kentucky ham. That ham ! Mellow, aged, boiled 
in champagne, baked brown, -spiced deeply, rosy pink 
within, and of a flavor and fragrance to shatter the 
fast of a Pope ; and without, a brown-edged white 
layer, so firm that the Lieutenant's deft carving knife, 
passing through, gave no hint to the eye that it was 
delicious fat. 5 " Fox, Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, 
215-16. 

17. Punctuate the following sentences correctly, 
stating after each one the rule or rules in accordance 
with which you have corrected that sentence : 

(1) Mr. Holliday's Wit and Humor of Colonial 
Days contains an account of the various versions of 

5 Printed by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons. 



Exercises 131 

Yankee Doodle which if not entirely new is well 
worth commenting upon. 

(2) My thanksgiving vacation was spent at my 
Grandmothers. 

(3) Mr. Marshall is a hoosier and a descendant 
of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the supreme court 
of the United States. 

(4) And not the least enjoyable part of the even- 
ing's entertainment was the music furnished by the 
second Wisconsin regiment band. 

(5) That is the thought to be developed in the 
paragraph should be given in the first sentence. 

(6) "Thinking begets thinking." Oliver Twist. 

(7) The sunlight was still resting upon the tops of 
her white sails, little dashes of gold on a background 
of snow, but none of us were interested in her goodly 
appearance. 

(8) Everytime I want anything, and cry for it, 
(because I can't make them understand I want any- 
thing unless I cry for it), they give me more Baby 
Food. 

(9) Let it be known that before the experiments 
on diptheria were begun about 70% of the victims of 
the disease succumbed while now after a few guinea 
pigs and rabbits have been sacrificed, only 10% of 
the patients die. 

(10) Despite the efforts of the Hague conference 
it is said that her maritime kingdom is to be forcibly 
divided and given to her rivals. 

(11) The garden of his house in Worcestershire 
was painted by Sargent in his Carnation, Lily, Lily, 
Rose. 

(12) He, himself, is a catholic and his parents be- 
fore him were all catholics. 

- (13) "Have you seen her." "Yes she was over at 
our house this morning." 



132 Practical English Punctuation 

(14) When Elizabeth came to the throne in 1559, 
I am not sure that this date is correct, she found the 
country all torn up with petty dissensions. 

(15) "If I had only listened to you," she went on ! 
"But my self will blinded me." 

(16) We had won by clean consistent playing by 
faithful practice and by the fact that our coach under- 
stood the game and how to handle his men. 

(17) Millet had likewise a high talent in stained 
glass design and is the designer of an important win- 
dow in the Harvard memorial hall. 

(18) This so called puppy love does not always 
endure, perhaps it best not, for a girls last love is 
usually more sane than her first. 

(19) In these rooms were reserved especially for 
committee meetings of all kinds. 

(20) All during the Spring our Dramatic Club, for 
so we styled ourselves, had been working hard re- 
hearsing our final play. 

(21) "But my friend," he exclaimed, "that is pre- 
cisely. His friend stopped him in the middle of the 
sentence. 

(22) "In a few weeks when you are strong enough 
we will all take a trip together, that is Father and 
Dudley and I and maybe Henry (I don't mean Henry, 
I mean Mr. Scales) maybe Mr. Scales will go too." 

(23) Come on now fellows, we beat them last year 
in the second half and we can do it again this year. 

(24) Rev. Andrew Sledd, Ph.D. D.D. L.L.D. is 
president of Southern University. 

(25) He said that "he paid for it out of his own 
personal account and that the total came to $101.00, 
or $50.00 apiece." 

(26) She is or rather she was my Brothers stenog- 
rapher. 

(27) On account of the mild pleasant climate of 
California, and other Western states people have 



Exercises 133 

flocked to these sections by the hundreds. Most of them 
settling down on small five or ten acre ranches. And 
then enthusiastically setting about the task of making 
the ranch pay for itself. 

(28) Wednesday, January 22nd. Unable any 
longer to appear on deck. Afraid I won't die now. 

(29) Incantations and chants — gloom and bril- 
liance of light, spooks and goblins — all were encount- 
ered in the course of the initiation. 

(30) In Milwaukee they have only two such 
homes, in Oshkosh one, and in Appleton none. 

(31) Jack the one eyed wonder, was the name of 
the chief occupant of the main tent which was gaudily 
painted to indicate it's importance. 

(32) I recognized it as Sir Wm. Jones' famous 
translation from the Persian and recited it to him ; 

So live that, sinking in thy last, long sleep, 
Smiles may be thine while all around thee weep. 

(33) The population of the world in 1880 was re- 
ligiously distributed in the following proportions. 

professors of Christianity 418000000 

Buddhists 400000000 

Mohammedans 215000000 

Brahmins 175000000 

Jews 7000000 

all other forms of religious belief . . . 174000000 

total 1389000000 

(34) The questions that must necessarily be set- 
tled are — is it necessary, might not federal revenue 
be collected more easily in some other way; is it fair 
and just, and is it efficient? 

(35) Can indicates possibility, as I can hear. 

(36) According to the census of 1910 we have a 
population of 18,000 and between two fifths and three 
fifths of these are colored. 



134 Practical English Punctuation 

(37) The following is the business of the General 
Conference; 1. the election of Bishops, 2. to adjust 
the boundaries of the Annual Conferences, 3. to revise 
the rules of the Discipline, 4. to superintend the interest 
of Foreign Missions, 5. to elect officers to conduct the 
business of the general Publishing House. 

(38) I rose from my knees — made my resolution 
— and lay down unafraid — enlightened — eager for day- 
light. 

(39) What he does not know about the great bear 
and the milky way and Jupiter is not worth knowing. 

(40) I've had enough of you. Now you beat it. 
Beat it quick while the goings good. 

(41) Many former Jewesses and Methodist, Bap- 
tist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Catholic women 
are today placing the Hindu scriptures, the veda, above 
the bible. 

(42) Henry W. Lawton, prince of promoters, as 
he himself admitted, and patron of authors sat in his 
office during the first two hours waiting. 

(43) Precisely at 11-20 he began to talk from Luke 
11-17 and for one hour, until 12-20 he preached. 

(44) We were still fast and to judge from the 
grinding of the ice on the Western shore the wind was 
blowing a strong gale from the East. 

(45) "Cartersville, Cartersville," he repeated slow- 
ly; pardon me please where is Cartersville. 

(46) Whatever may have been his admiration for 
governor Wilson, ex president Roosevelt did not at 
all agree that a third party was unnecessary. 

(47) Bean — E. B. you said your name was. 

(48) He likened the new bill to a bowl of punch 

A little sugar to make it sweet 

A little lemon to make it sour 

A little water to make it weak 

A little brandy to give it power. 



Exercises 135 

(49) How we all stood up and peered into the 
distant nooks ; how fearfully that dreaded cry came to 
us again; how nervously we scanned the green spots 
in the distance. 

(50 Henderson and Wallace are alike in this re- 
spect, one never forgets anything and the other never 
learns anything. 

(51) Even though we were both in the same boat 
so far as trouble was concerned, I had a scrap with him 
over the rabbits. 

(52) I invite your attention to the following pas- 
sage ; "A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievi- 
ous words stir up anger." 

(53) According to the statistics of the U. S. com- 
missioner of education forty one boys do not return the 
second year of high school, sixty two of the original 
one hundred do not return the third, and seventy six 
have dropped out by the fourth year. 

(54) When I meet a girl" with a very odd romantic 
and curiously-spelt name I always wonder what her 
name was before she began fooling with it. 

(55) Mrs. S. N. Conway, 

Union, Wis. 
Dear madam, 

(56) From the Post Office past Jefferson park and 
for nearly a quarter of a mile along the south shore 
drive the procession extended. 

(57) A woman like her as brilliant as any man and 
a great deal more brilliant than most of us has a per- 
fect right to vote. 

(58) So with pails, bags, baskets and boxes we 
started on that long wet tramp through the grass, 
bushes and tall timber. 

(59) That the one was nearly a woman now and 
the other— Alas ! — a full grown man did not occur to 
their Mother. 

(60) When women receive the ballot they will do 



136 Practical English Punctuation 

as the men have done ; see that their working hours are 
shortened and that they have more sanitary conditions 
under which to labor. 

(61) This very important study should however 
not be a burden to the student and it will not become 
such if both teacher and student work hand in hand. 

(62) Mr. McCullom do I understand that you are 
a witness for rather than against the defense. 

(63) As to anything that would improve the work, 
I can think of nothing, it is the study not always the 
teacher that makes students like or dislike the subject. 

(64) Much obliged to you for the kind thought my 
child, I will take the word for the deed. 

(65) O, mother ocean I love thy whispers, thy 
sighs, and even thy doleful moans. 

(66) This summer we camped up the river where 
there were eight girls and two married ladies for chap- 
erones. 

(67) The convention held at Chicago, Illinois in 
July 1912 could not be termed an absolute success. 

(68) His answer was expressed in three words — 
read — read — read. 

(69) "Ah ! Well ! I am forgetting again how old I 
am ; he exclaimed, And you are not interested any 
way." 

(70) For in the Acts of the apostles we are told 
that : "neither was any one among them (the faith- 
ful) needy." 

(71) The taste is a highly-emphasized combination 
of jelly, apple cider and lemonade, strawberries, honey 
and cool milk, iced beer and pickles, and dozens of the 
other sensuous pleasures that please us, all these multi- 
plied to the third power. 

(72) But in an oral examination some students be- 
come so confused, even frightened, and this confusion 
is often due to the thoughtlessness of the instructor, 



Exercises 137 

that it is utterly impossible for them to make the show- 
ing that they normally would. 

(73) The dance over she threw her card away re- 
marking that she was disgusted with balls. 

(74) The loss of Leonardo Da Vincis Mona Lisa 
is the most regrettable artistic loss that we have had 
in many years. 

(75) Upon him has been thrust the undivided 
honor of representing in the campaign of 1915 the saner 
ideas of progress under the constitution and the in- 
stitutions we have. 

(76) They learn the three Rs there and thats more 
than can be said of most of the schools in such dis- 
tricts. 

(77) Monday came and by 2,30 the biggest crowd 
was on hand that had been seen since the fall of 99. 

(78) The noon editions fairly overflowed with the 
latest and most ominous rumors, many of which had 
been invented in their own offices, denials of old rumors 
reported in the morning issues, derisive accounts of the 
ticket-scalpers who had been arrested, intricate cal- 
culations on the crowds probable magnitude, which 
was expected to be the largest ever known, statements 
by every notable in the city who had felt the need of a 
little free advertising, and other alleged news. 

(79) And what do you think of the dignity of a 
President who resorts to an ex parte action in order 
to gain a brief and transient legal victory over a very 
important part of the people, whom he has sworn to 
protect in their legal rights ! 

(80) The Springfield, Mass., Republican quoted in 
Public Opinion above states that in 1894 1333000 people 
in New York city lived in 39138 tenement houses, a 
fraction over 34 persons to the house. 

(81) From morn to noon, from noon to dewy eve 
it was work — work — work — nothing but work. 



138 Practical English Punctuation 

(82) If he does this, and the instructor gives new 
kinds of exercises even though the main things to be 
learned are repeated, and new ways of presenting the 
old principles, I think the student would have less cause 
to find this fault with Rhetoric. 

(83) Born in the state that is known as the mother 
of presidents and that produced the father of his 
country, we may confidently expect something worth 
while of Pres. Wilson. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 



Bibliography 141 



BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Anderson, J. M., A Study of English Words. New York: Amer- 
ican Book Co., 1897. 
Baldwin, C. S., Composition: Oral and Written. New York: 

Longmans, Green, 1911. 
Bigelow, M. T., Punctuation and Other Typographical Matters. 

Boston: Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard, 1909. 
Bingham, W., A Grammar of the English Language. Philadel- 
phia: Butler, 1870. 
Brewster, W. T., English Composition and Style. New York: 

Century, 1912. 
Canby, H. S., and Others, English Composition in Theory and 

Practice. New York: Macmillan, 1912. 
Clark, J. S., A Practical Rhetoric. New York: Henry Holt, 

1886. 
Cocker, W. J., A Hand-Book of Punctuation. New York: 

American Book Co., 1878. 
Earle, S. C, Theory and Practice of Technical Writing. New 

York: Macmillan, 1911. 
Earle, S. C, Savage, S. J., and Seavey, F. E., Sentences and their 

Elements. New York: Macmillan, 1911. 
Fulton, E., English Prose Composition. New York: Henry Holt, 

1911. 
Genung, J. F., Outlines of Rhetoric. Boston : Ginn, 1896. 
Genung, J. F., Practical Elements of Rhetoric. Boston: Ginn, 

1900. 
Harvey T. W., New English Grammar. New York: American 

Book Co., 1900. 
Herrick, R., and Damon, L. T., New Composition and Rhetoric. 

Chicago and New York: Scott, Foresman, 1911. 
Hill, A. S., Foundations of Rhetoric. New York: American 

Book Co., 1893. 
Hill, A. S., Beginnings of Rhetoric and Composition. New York: 

American Book Co., 1902. 
Hitchcock, A. M., Enlarged Practice Book. New York: Henry 

Holt, 1909. 
Kellogg, B., A Text-Book on Rhetoric. New York: Maynard, 

Merrill, 1897. 
Lamont, H., English Composition. New York: Scribner's, 1910. 
Lewis, E. H., Business English. Chicago: La Salle Extension 

University, 1911. 
Linn, J. W., Essentials of English Composition. New York: 

Scribner's, 1912. 



142 Practical English Punctuation 



Lockwood, S. E. H., and Emerson, M. A., Composition 

Rhetoric. Boston: Ginn, 1902. 
Loomis, H. T., Practical Letter Writing. Cleveland: Practical 

Text Book Co., 1897. 
Lyte, E. O., Advanced Grammar and Composition. New York: 

American Book Co., 1899. 
Manly, J. M., and Powell, J. A., A Manual for Writers. Chi- 
cago : University Press, 1913. 
Manual of Style. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1910. 
Meiklejohn, j. M. D., English Grammar. Boston: D. C. Heath, 

1901. 
Newcomer, A. G., Elements of Rhetoric. New York: Henry 

Holt, 1899. 
Perry, F. M., A Punctuation Primer. New York: American 

Book Co., 1908. 
Quackenbos, J. D., Practical Rhetoric. New York: American 

Book Co., 1896. 
Scott, F. N., and Denney, J. V., Elementary English Composition, 

Allyn and Bacon, 1897. 
Scott, F. N., and Denney, J. V., Composition-Rhetoric. Boston : 

Allyn and Bacon, 1902. 
Scott, F. N., and Denney, J. V., Paragraph Writing. Boston: 

Allyn and Bacon, 1909. 
Smith, A. M., Proof-Reading and Punctuation. Philadelphia: 

By the Author, 1902. 
Spencer H., Philosophy of Style. New York : Appleton, 1879. 
Style Book. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1912. 
Thomas, C. S., and Howe, W. D., Composition and Rhetoric. 

New York; Longmans, Green, 1911. 
Wendell, B., English Composition. New York: Scribner's, 1901. 
Williams, J. D., A Language Book. Chicago: Williams, 1911. 
Williams, J. D., Practical Studies in Grammar. Chicago : Wil- 
liams, 1912. 
Wilson, J., A Treatise on Punctuation. New York: American 

Book Co., 1899. 
Woolley, E. C, Handbook of Composition. Boston: D. C. 

Heath, 1907. 
Woolley, E. C, The Mechanics of Writing. Boston: D. C. 

Heath, 1909. 



INDEX 



INDEX 



Abbreviations, capitalized, 51; 
general usage, 223-8; hyphen- 
ated, 59; in addresses of let- 
ters, 256; in foot-notes, 221 
b; in formal notes, 258; of 
political parties, 147; period 
after, 59; of cities, 248 I; 
reference, italicized, 184 

Absolute construction, 106 

Accuracy, lack of indicated by 
interrogation-point, 125, 150 

Address, direct, 100 

Addresses, in headings of let- 
ters, 235, 257; inside, 240-3; 
outside, 119 a, 254-6; titles 
of, quoted, 171 

Adjectives, compound, 202; 
fractional, 201; modifying, 
84; proper, 26 

Administrative bodies, 40 

Adverbial phrases, 98 

Adverbs, preceding adjectives, 
202 ex.; set off by commas, 
98, 115 

Allen, J. L., quoted, p. 119 

&, when used, 227 b 

and, on an oblique line, 5 g 

Apostrophe, uses, 188-97 

Appositives, possessive case of, 
191; set off by commas, 95; 
by dashes, 132 

Article preceding titles of 
books, etc., 29 b 

as, colon before, 68; comma 
after, 96; comma before, 68 
a; dash before, 137 

Astronomy, names in, 43 

Author, dash between quota- 
tion and name of, 138 

Author's name, comma after, 
112, 222 

Avenue, not omitted in head- 
ings of letters, 237 



Bible, names capitalized, 32; 

not quoted, 171 ex. 
Biblical references, 70, 75 
Bibliographies, 71, 222, 226 
Black-face type, underscoring 

for, 22 
Blank lines, 16 
Blocks, names capitalized, 42 
Books, citations of in foot- 
notes, 221 b; in bibliog- 
raphies, 222; format of, per- 
iod omitted, 59 ex.; titles 
capitalized, 29, italicized, 178 
a, quoted, 171 
Botany, names in, 55 
Brackets, uses, 151-4 
Broken lines, 53, 118 
Bros., when abbreviated, 227 b 
Buildings, names capitalized, 42 
Business correspondence, 'ab- 
breviations in, 227 

Capital letters, after exclama- 
tion-points, 126 b; excessive 
use, 57; general usage, 24- 
57; in compound interroga- 
tive sentences, 123 a; in par- 
enthetic expressions 24 b, 130 
b; underscoring for, 22 

Cardinal points, when capital- 
ized, 35 

Caret, 18 

Catalogues, 71 

Chapter divisions, titles quoted, 
171 

Chemical symbols, 59 ex. 

Choice of writing paper, 4 

Churches, names capitalized, 39 

City in outside addresses of 
letters, 254 b 

Class names, 28 

Clauses, adverbial, 91; con- 
trasted, separated by com- 



146 



Practical English Punctuation 



mas, 97; dependent: set oft" 
by commas, 91; by semi- 
colons, 77; exclamatory, ex- 
clamation-point after, 126; 
independent : colons between, 
65; commas between, 80; 
semicolons between, 73; in 
a series, set off by commas, 
83; parenthetic, 94, 130-1, 
144; relative, 90; series of 
subject of a sentence, 87; 
transposed, 82 

Clubs, names capitalized, 39 

Co., when abbreviated, 227 b 

College classes, 28 b 

Colleges, names capitalized, 39 

Colon, dash instead, 135, 137; 
uses, 65-72 

Comma, before a dash, 130; 
general usage, 80-122; semi- 
colon instead, 76 

Commercial institutions, names 
capitalized, 39 

Compass, points of capitalized, 
35 

Complimentary close in letters, 
comma after, 118; general 
usage, 249-51; punctuation, 
53, 118 

Concluded, italicized, 183 

Conferences, names capitalized, 
38 

Congresses, names capitalized, 
38, 41 

Conjunctions, commas before, 
85, 86, 115 

Continued, italicized, 183 

Contractions, no period after, 
59 ex. 

Conventions, names capitalized, 
38 

Conversation, paragraphing in, 
162 

Corporations, names capital- 
ized, 39 



Correspondence, abbreviations 
in, 224, 225, 227-8, 256, 258 

Court-house, when capitalized, 
42 ex. 

d in dates, 230 b, 238 a 

Dash, comma before, 130 a, 132 
a; general uses, 129-43; in 
dialogue, 162 ex.; inter- 
changeable with parentheses, 
146 

Dates, apostrophe in, 195; card- 
inal numbers, 229, 231; com- 
mas in, 116 a; dashes in, 
141; figures omitted in, 141, 
195; in headings of letters, 
235; in letters, 238-9; inter- 
rogation-points after, 125, 
150; set off by commas, 101 

Days, of the week, names cap- 
italized, 36; of the month, 
expressed in figures, 230 

de, when capitalized, 49 

Decimal point above the line, 
233 

Decimals, expressed in figures, 
231 a; period before, 61 

Degrees, academic, abbrevia- 
tions capitalized, 51; ex- 
pressed in figures.. 231 a 

Deity, names capitalized, 31 

Denominations, religious, 39 

di, when capitalized, 49 

Dialogue, dashes in, 139, 162 
ex. ; paragraphing, 162 

Direct address, words in, 100 

Documents, capitalized, 37; fig- 
ures in, 234 

Dots, indicating ellipses, 220; 
under erased words, 20 

Double dash, 130 

Double possessive, 192 

Doubt expressed by exclama- 
tion-point, 127; by interroga- 
tion-point, 125, 150 



Index 



147 



e.g., colon before, 68; comma 
after, 96; dash before, 137 

Ellipses, 220 

Emerson, R. W., quoted, p. 
118 

Emphasis, italics for, 181; 
words repeated for, 110 

Enumerations, colon before, 
67; commas in, 74 a, 88; 
first word capitalized, 47; in- 
formal, 67 b; letters in itali- 
cized 186; no punctuation be- 
fore, 67 b; numbering, 47 b, 
149, 186; parentheses in, 149; 
semicolons in, 74 

Envelops, 253-6, 262 

epithets, personal, 33 a 

Epochs, historical, capitalized, 
37; linguistic, period omitted 
after abbreviations of, 59 ex. 

Erasures, 19 

etc., comma before, 85 b 

Events, historical, etc., 37 

ex- before titles, 33 e 

Exclamation-point, capital let- 
ter following, 126; uses, 126- 
8 

Exclamations, punctuation of, 
108, 126 

Exercises for correction, p. 
117 

Explanations, enclosed in par- 
entheses, 154 

Expositions, names capitalized, 
38 

Federal departments, names 
capitalized, 40 

Festivals, 36 

Figures, beginning sentences, 
234; general usage, 229-34; 
in enumerations, 149; in 
headings of letters, 238; in 
parentheses, 149, 186, 234; 
omitted, apostrophe indicat- 



ing, 195; plurals of, 196 
Foot-notes, abbreviations in, 

221 b, 226; general usage, 221 
Fox, J., quoted, 130 
Fractions, no hyphen in, 201 
Fraternities, 39 

Geographical names, set off by 
commas, 101 

Governmental departments, cap- 
italization of, 40 

Headings of letters, commas 
in, 119; general usage, 235- 
9; period after, 64 
Herrick, R., quoted, p. 120 
High-school, when capitalized, 

42 ex., 57 a 
Holidays, names capitalized, 36 
Honor, titles of, 33, 51 
Hood, T., quoted, p. .62 
however, semicolon before, 73 
Hubbard, E., quoted, p. 123-4 
Hyphen, uses, 198-219 

/, 48 

i.e., colon before, 68; comma 
after, 96; dash before, 137 

Indentation, in outlines, 149 a; 
in quotations, 160-2; of par- 
agraphs, 14 

Initials following surnames, 
105 

Ink, choice of, 6 

Insertions of words, 18 

Institutions, industrial, capital- 
ization of, 39 

Interjection O, 48 

Interjections, comma after, 
108; exclamation-point after, 
126 

Interpolations in quotations, 
151, 165 

Interrogation-point, 123-5, 130 
b, 150 

Italics, for emphasis, 181; gen- 



148 



Practical English Punctuation 



eral uses, 178-87; underscor- 
ing for, 22 
Items, tabular, commas in, 74 
a, 88; first words capitalized, 
47; introduced by colon, 67; 
numbering, 47 b, 149, 186; 
semicolon in, 74 

James, W., quoted, p. 120-1 
Judicial bodies, names capital- 
ized, 40 

Kingsley, C, quoted, p. 60 

La, when capitalized, 49 
Languages, foreign, italicized, 

180; in translation, 173 
Le, when capitalized, 49 
Lectures, titles quoted, 171 
Legibility of manuscripts, 5 
Legislative bodies, names cap- 
italized, 40 
Letters, arrangement of pages 
in, 248 3; comma after com- 
plimentary close, 118, after 
headings, 119, after saluta- 
tions, 117, in inside address, 
119; commercial, figures in, 
234; formal 257-62; common 
errors in, 248; compliment- 
ary close, 249-51; envelop, 
253-6, 262; general usage in, 
235-62; headings, general us- 
age, 235-9; in first person, 
235-56; inside address, 240-3; 
in third person, 257-62; legal, 
figures in, 234; outside ad- 
dress, 254-6; period after 
headings, inside addresses, 
64; salutations, 244-6; signa- 
tures, 252; written in pencil, 
248 8 
Letters, alphabetic : in enumer- 
ations, italicized, 186, paren- 
thesized, 149; in mathematics, 
italicized, 186; in parentheses, 



149; marking numbers of 
pages, foot-notes, etc., 186; 
omitted, apostrophe indicat- 
ing, 195, dash indicating, 143; 
plurals of, 196; used as let- 
ters, italicized, 186 

Library, when capitalized, 42 
ex 

Lincoln, A., quoted, p. 66 

Lines, beginning with marks of 
punctuation, 17; broken, cap- 
itals in, 53, commas in, 118; 
crowded, 10; parts left blank, 
16 

Locality, names distinguishing, 
34 

MacDonald, G., quoted, p. 118 
Madam, when capitalized, 52 
Magazine articles, cited in bib- 
liographies, 222; titles capi- 
talized, 29, quoted, 171 
Magazines, names italicized, 
178; use of parentheses in 
titles, 148 
Manuscripts, blank lines in, 16; 
carelessly prepared, 2; choice 
of paper for, 4; crowded 
lines, 10; ellipses indicating 
mutilations, 220; erasures in, 
19; fastening, 23; folding, 23; 
foot-notes in, 221 d; inser- 
tions in, 18; legibility, 5; 
margins, 9, 12; neatness, 3; 
pagination, 11; rolling, 23; 
size of paper, 4; space at top 
of pages, 12; titles capital- 
ized, 29 
Margins in manuscripts, 9, 12 
Marks used in correcting 

themes, p. 113 
Maxims, commas before, 109 
Measures, metric, 231 a 
Messrs., 242 a 
Miss in signatures, 252 b 



Index 



149 



Misspelled words, 13 

Modifiers, adjective, 84, 93; ad- 
verbial, 92; non-restrictive, 
89-105; participial, 93; re- 
strictive, 89 a 

Money, sums of, 233 

Months, abbreviated, 227; 
names capitalized, 36 

Moody, W. V. quoted, p. 121 

Mrs. in signatures, 252 b 

MS, period omitted after, 59 
ex. 

Musical compositions, titles 
italicized, 178 a x quoted, 171 

namely, colon before, 68; com- 
ma after, 96; dash before, 
137 

Names, baptismal following 
surnames, 105; class, 28; dis- 
tinguishing nationality, 34; 
geographic, 101; of states, in 
newspaper titles, 148; proper, 
26, 44, joined with common, 
30 

Nationality, names distinguish- 
ing, 34 

nd after ordinals, 230 b; in 
dates, 238 a 

Negro, not capitalized, 34 ex. 

Newspapers, names italicized, 
178; parentheses in titles, 148 

Nicknames, not quoted, 176 

No, comma after, 107; semi- 
colon after, 78 

Nominative absolute, 106 

Notes, in parentheses, 154; in 
third person, 257-62 

Nouns, common, 30; compound, 
204; German, 50; proper, 26, 
44 

Numbers, automobile, 116 a, 
229; cardinal, expressed in 
figures, 229, spelt out, 231; 
compound, hyphen in, 199; 



dashes used in, 141; dates, 
229; decimals, period before, 
61; general usage, 229-34; 
house, in letters, 235-6; in 
books, 229; in foot-notes, 221 
a; in formal letters, 258; 
large, commas in, 116; large 
and small, 232; line, 103; or- 
dinal: in headings and ad- 
dresses of letters, 230; hy- 
phen in, 200; nd and rd af- 
ter, 230 b; spelt out, 230; 
when capitalized, 41; page, 
103, 229; roman, no period 
after, 60; sentence not to be 
begun with, 234; street, 116 
a, 229, 235; telephone, 116 a, 
229; volume, 103 
Numerals, arabic, nouns pre- 
ceding, 56, a; no period af- 
ter, 60; roman, nouns pre- 
ceding, 56 

O, 48 

Omissions, apostrophe indicat- 
ing, 195; comma, 111; dash, 
143 

Orders, monastic, 39 

Ordinal numbers, capitalized, 
41; hyphen in, 200; spelt out, 
230 

Organizations, religious, 39 

Outlines, arrangement and 
numbering, 149 a 

Pages of letters, arrangement 

of, 248 3 
Pagination of manuscripts, 11 
Paintings, titles quoted, 171 
Paper, choice of, 4; in letters, 
253, 261 ; one side to be writ- 
ten on, 6 
Paragraphs, consolidation of, 
15; dashes indicating, 162 
ex.; indentation of, 14, 182 



150 



Practical English Punctuation 



a; in quotations, 160; separa- 
tion of, 15; summarizing, 
semicolons in, 77; titles in 
black-face type, 179 a, itali- 
cized, 179 

Parentheses, enclosing figures 
and letters, 149; enclosing in- 
terrogation-points, 125; indi- 
cating erasures, 19 a, general 
usage, 144-50; interchange- 
able with dashes, 131; punc- 
tuation with, 145; within par- 
entheses, 94 b, c, 131, 146, 
153 

Parenthetic expressions, en- 
closed in parentheses, 144; 
preceded by and, but, or, or 
nor ■, 94 d; set off by commas, 
94; set off by dashes, 130-1; 
within parenthetic expres- 
sions, 94 b, c, 131, 146, 153 

Parks, names capitalized, 42 

Participles, set off by commas, 
93 

Particulars, enumerations of, 
colon before, 67; commas in, 
74 a, 88; capitalization in, 47; 
no punctuation before, 67 b; 
numbering, 47 b, 149, 186; 
semicolons in, 74 

Parties, political, abbreviations 
of in parentheses, 147; names 
capitalized, 39 

Pause, dash indicating rhet- 
orical effect of, 140 

Per cent, period omitted after, 
59 ex. 

Percentage, expressed in fig- 
ures, 231 a 

Period, uses, 58-64 

Personal epithets, capitalized, 
33 a 

Personified objects, capitalized, 
45 

Phrases, adverbial, 98; apposi- 



tive, 95; contrasted, 97; ex- 
clamatory, 126; explanatory, 
133, 144; foreign, 173, 180; 
indicating residence, position, 
or title, 102; in a series, 83; 
in pairs, 83 a; modifying 
words in separate phrases, 
99; parenthetic, 94, 130-1, 
144; series subject of a sen- 
tence, 87; slang, 175; trans- 
posed, 82 

Pictures, titles capitalized, 29 

Plays, cited in bibliographies, 
222; titles capitalized, 29, 
italicized, 178 a, quoted, 171 

Plurals of figures, letters, etc., 
196 

Poems, cited in bibliographies, 
222; titles capitalized, 29, 
quoted, 171 

Points, cardinal, 35 

Political parties, abbreviations 
in parentheses, 147; names 
capitalized, 39 

Position, phrases indicating, 
102 

Possessive case, 188-94; pro- 
nouns in, 194 

Post-office, when capitalized, 
42 ex. 

Predicate, compound, 114 

Prefixes, hyphenated, 205; 
marked by hyphens, 218; von, 
de, etc., 49; written solid, 
206 

Prepositions, set off by com- 
mas, 115 

Professor, not capitalized, 57 

Pronoun /, 48 

Pronouns, antecedents in titles 
of essays, 8; in formal let- 
ters, 259; possessive, 194; re- 
flexive and indefinite, 95 b 

Proof sheet, specimen, p. 114. 

Proper nouns, 26, 44 



Index 



151 



Punctuation, defined, 1 
Punctuation marks, beginning 

lines, 17; with parentheses, 

145 

Questions, indirect, 123 b; in- 
terrogation-points after, 123- 
4; use of capitals in, 123 a 

Quotation-marks, general us- 
age, 155-77; in plurals of let- 
ters and words, 196 a ; 
omitted from quotations, 167 
ex., 168 a; relative position 
of, 157 a, 166; use with ellip- 
ses, 157, 159, 220 b 

Quotations, brackets in, 151-2 
capitalization in, 25; colon be- 
fore, 66; comma before, 109 
corrections of mistakes in 
152; dash after, 138, before. 
134; dialogue, 162; different 
type for, 167 ex.; direct, 155- 
69; ellipses in, 220; exactness 
necessary, 169; fragmentary. 
25 a; from foreign languages, 
180 ex.; honestv in. 163; in- 
dentations in, 160-2, 164, 167; 
indirect, 170; informal, 25 a, 
161; interpolations in, 151, 
165; introduced by a dash, 
134; material omitted, 220; 
mistakes in, 152, 169; para- 
graph indentation in, 160; 
prose, 159-69; punctuation of, 
155-77; quotation-marks 
omitted from. 167 ex., 163 a; 
verse, 156-8, 164; within quo- 
tations, 163-4 

Railroads, names capitalized, 

39 
rd after ordinals, 230 b; in 

dates, 238 a 
Readings, responsive, 185 
References, biblical, 70, 75 



Reference words, italicized, 184 
Religious denominations, 39 
Residence, phrases indicating, 

102 
Resolutions, form of, 182; semi- 
colon in, 77 
Resolved, capital after, 54; 
comma after, 120; italicized, 
182 
Responsive readings, 185 
Restoration of erased words, 

20 
Rhetoric, not capitalized, 57 
Roads, names capitalized, 42 
Roots, hyphen indicating, 218 

Salutations in letters, 244-6; 
punctuation of, 52, 69, 117 

Sarcasm, indicated by exclama- 
tion-point, 127 

Saying, verbs of, no comma 
after, 115 a 

Schools, names capitalized, 39 

Seasons of the year, 26 

Semicolon, general usage, 73- 
9; in resolutions, 182; instead 
of commas, 76 

Sentences, beginning with fig- 
ures, 234; complex, 79; com- 
pound, 73, 80; compound in- 
terrogative, 24 a; declarative, 
exclamation-point after, 128; 
period after, 58; exclamatory, 
exclamation-point after, 126, 
period after, 58; first word 
capitalized, 24; declarative 
followed by interrogative, 81; 
imperative, exclamation-point 
after, 128, period after, 58; 
incomplete, dash after, 129; 
independent, capitalized, 46, 
colon between, 65; interroga- 
tive, 123-4, 130 b: introduced 
by colons, 46, by dashes, 135; 
large and small numbers in. 



152 



Practical English Punctuation 



232; parenthetic, 24 b, 130 b, 
144; predicate of, comma af- 
ter, 114; simple, no semicolon 
in, 79; subject: comma after, 
113, no comma after, 87 
Sermons, titles quoted, 171 
Ships, names italicized, 178 
Side-heads dashes after, 142; 
italicized, 179; periods after, 
63 
Signatures, general usage, 252; 

titles after italicized, 187 
Sir in salutations, 52 
Slang, in quotation-marks, 175 
Slowness of speech, dash indi- 
cating, 139 
So, semicolon before, 73, 80 b 
Societies, names capitalized, 39 
Solar bodies, names capitalized, 

43 
Space at top of each page of 
manuscript, 12; between let- 
ters, 5; between lines, 10; be- 
tween paragraphs, 14; be- 
tween title and subject-mat- 
ter, 7 
Speech, dash indicating slow- 
ness, 139 
Spelling, 13 

Spencer, H., quoted, p. 2 
Squares, names capitalized, 42 
st in dates, 238 a 
Stammering, hyphen indicating, 

219 
State, departments of, 40 a 
States, abbreviations of, 227 
Street, omission in addresses, 

237 
Street numbers, 229 
Subjects of sentences, comma 
after, 113; no comma after, 
87 
Suffixes, hyphenated, 207; 
marked by hyphens, 218; 
varying, 209; written solid, 
208 



Summaries, 77 
•Summarizing words, 136 
Sums less than a dollar, 233 
Surnames followed by initials, 

105 
Syllabication, 216 
Syllables, hyphen between, 216; 

hyphen indicating, 217 
Syllabuses arrangement and 

numbering, 149 a 
Symbols, chemical, 59 ex. 

Tables, time, 62, 70, 203 

Tabular items, capitalization, 
47; colon in, 67; comma in, 
74 a, 88; numbering, 47 b, 
149, 186; semicolon in, 74 

Technical terms, 172 

Tense, future, in formal notes, 
260 

th in dates, 238 a 

that, comma before, 115 a 

that is, colon before, 68; com- 
ma after, 96; dash before, 
137 

Themes, marks used in correct- 
ing, p. 113; titles not quoted, 
177 

Therefore, dash before, 137; 
semicolon before, 73 

Time indications, 62, 70, 203 

Titles, abbreviations of capital- 
ized, 51; academic, 104; after 
signatures, 187; compound 
words in, 29 c; ex- before, 
33 e; honorary, 33, 104; in 
direct address, 33 d; not 
omitted in letters, 242; of 
books, capitalized, 29; of par- 
agraphs, 179; personal, not 
abbreviated, 225; phrases in- 
dicating, 102; preceded by 
author's name, 112; quoted, 
171, 177; space between sub- 
ject-matter and, 7 

Toasts, 171 



Index 



153 



Translations, 173 
Transposed words, 21, 82 
Type, underscoring for differ- 
ent kinds, 22; black-face in 
paragraph titles, 179 a 

Underscoring, for emphasis, 
181; general usage, 22 

Van, capitalized, 49 b 

Verbs, coined, 197; of saying, 

no comma after, 115 a 
Verse, first lines capitalized, 

25; fragments of, 25 a; 

grouping lines of, 157 a, 158; 

quoted, 156-8, 164 
viz., colon before, 68; comma 

after, 96; dash before, 137 
Vocatives, 100 
von, when capitalized, 49 

Week, days of, capitalized, 36 

Weights, metric, 231 a 

Well, comma after, 107 

Wesley, J., quoted, 156 

Whereas, capital after, 54; 
comma after, 54 a, 120; itali- 
cized, 182 

Why, comma after, 107 

Words, appositive, 95; coined, 
175; colloquial, 175; com- 



pound, 29 c, 198-215; con- 
tracted, 59 ex.; contrasted, 
97; division of, 216; erasures, 
19; foreign, 173, 180; hyphen- 
ated, 212; incomplete, hyphen 
indicating, 218; in definition, 
173; in direct address, 100; 
in pairs, 83 a; in series, 83, 
87; insertion of, 18; interro- 
gation-point after, 125, 150; 
modifying, in separate 
phrases, 99; omission of let- 
ters in, 195; omission of part, 
215; omitted, indicated by 
commas, 111; parenthetic, 94, 
130-1; plurals of, 196; refer- 
ence, 184; repeated for em- 
phasis, 110; restoration when 
erased, 20; separate, 214; 
series of, subject of sen- 
tence, 87; slang, 175; solid, 
212; stammered, 219; sum- 
marizing, 136; syllabication, 
216; transposed, 82; trans- 
position of, 21 

Yes, comma after, 107; semi- 
colon after, 78 

Zoology, names in capitalized, 
55 



